


Strangers in a Thunderstorm

by allineedistime



Series: Strangers in a Thunderstorm [1]
Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, OT9 - Freeform, Strangers to Lovers, this will probably have two chapters, unless i feel like writing more
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:08:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 29,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21929476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allineedistime/pseuds/allineedistime
Summary: A girl clad in a black leather jacket was crouching next to the cinema doors with both her hands covering her ears. Dahyun stood there petrified, a thousand thoughts about what could have happened to her swimming in her mind but she wasn’t able to fish any. She stopped the music, pocketing her headphones, and cautiously walked closer to the stranger.~*~The story about two strangers who share an undeniable connection.
Relationships: Chou Tzuyu/Son Chaeyoung, Hirai Momo/Im Nayeon, Kim Dahyun/Minatozaki Sana, Myoui Mina/Yoo Jeongyeon, saida - Relationship
Series: Strangers in a Thunderstorm [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805461
Comments: 23
Kudos: 268





	1. Rain, Coffe and Talks

The water on the pavement splashed with every step she took. The thunder roaring overhead barely audible over the music that was playing on her headphones. After another tiresome day at work, Dahyun was finally going back home where her bed would be receiving her with open arms for her to drown in. Or so she thought.

She had gotten off work later than usual, as the manager needed to give them some further instructions for the weeks to come. The last weeks of the year were always the busiest, as people made reservations for Christmas dinners and year-end celebrations, apart from the usual customers and birthday parties. Working at a restaurant was not as easy as it sounded, but it payed well enough for Dahyun to be able to afford university.

She looked at her watch. 3:04am. She would only get five hours of sleep until having to wake up to go to uni. She looked down at her feet as she walked. There was something about the rain that always made her feel nice inside, as if somehow everything that had gone wrong or every mistake she had made was getting washed away. She looked ahead again. The traffic lights a blur due to her tired eyes, but it was still a nice view.

She kept on walking past the park, the old library she likes to visit on the weekends, the music store she only watches from a distance (so as not to tempt herself with expensive instruments and albums she knows she can’t allow herself to buy), past the bar where she liked to go to with Chaeyoung and Tzuyu to celebrate the end of finals. Only one more block, then the bus and she would be in the warmth of her apartment.

She walked a bit faster, barely murmuring the lyrics of the song her phone was playing, and looking back every few minutes to make sure no creepy men were following her. (She had been there before and it hadn’t been nice to say the least. Ever since that moment she had gotten the habit to walk home with her keys between each finger in case she needed to defend herself.) As she looked ahead again, she saw a bump on her peripheral vision. Instinct made her look at it.

A girl clad in a black leather jacket was crouching next to the cinema doors with both her hands covering her ears. Dahyun stood there petrified, a thousand thoughts about what could have happened to her swimming in her mind but she wasn’t able to fish any. She stopped the music, pocketing her headphones, and cautiously walked closer to the stranger. The girl didn’t notice her, still making herself as small as possible, her face showing an expression of pure fear. Dahyun hesitated, she desperately needed some sleep but at the same time she couldn’t help but feel the need to help this girl.

Dahyun didn’t know how to approach her. She definitely didn’t want to scare her even more, so she decided to leave a considerable distance between them as she spoke over the deafening rain.

“Hey, are you okay? Do you need help?” she yelled.

The girl opened her tightly shut eyes and lifted her eyes. She uncovered her ears and looked at her with an unreadable expression, her wet pink hair sticking to her face and her black Converse completely soaked. Dahyun took her face in, she was undeniably pretty with kind eyes and a soft gaze.

“I’m- I’m okay.” She answered, her voice barely audible. Just then lighting illuminated the night sky and thunder didn’t wait even a few seconds before it rumbled, making even Dahyun jump in her place at the unexpected sound. The girl let out a high-pitched scream and crouched again, her hands going back to her ears.

Dahyun closed the distance between them in a second. She put a hand on her back, immediately realizing that the girl was terrified of thunderstorms. She tried to soothe her but the girl kept her eyes shut and her face still contorted into an expression of pain.

“I’m Dahyun. What’s your name?” she asked trying to distract the girl from the terrifying atmosphere that surrounded them.

“Sana,” the pink-haired girl replied.

“Okay, Sana. Is there someone we can call?”

“My- my phone died. I had gone to a friend’s house and the storm broke out as I was going back home.” Sana was shaking now, her hands and lips cold. Dahyun squated next to her and took her hands in her.

“Hey, it’s okay. You’re okay. Nothing bad is gonna happen,” she said with determination in her voice. Sana looked into her eyes, and something inside her made her believe her words. Even if she had just met this girl, something told her to believe her words. “Do you live far away?”

“I live a few blocks from here. I was trying to get there but the storm beat me to it.”

Dahyun kept caressing her back, still holding her umbrella over them. She looked around in search of some sign telling her what to do in a situation like this. “Do you remember your friend’s phone number? Maybe she can pick you up.” Dahyun suggested, already offering her phone to Sana.

“I don’t remember it, I’m sorry. Plus Momo has a big day tomorrow, I don’t want to worry her at this hour.”

Dahyun put her phone back in her pocket. She looked at Sana’s face, the soft skin, the burrowed eyebrows, the tight-lipped fake smile she had plastered on her face. Without thinking she made a decision.

“Okay, I’ll walk you home. Are you okay with that?” Sana looked at her, her body language telling Dahyun that she was surprised at the offer.

“You don’t have to. It’s just that storms somehow paralyse me, it’s been like this since I was a child. I thought I would grow out of it, but I guess I was wrong.” After a second Sana continued. “I’ll just wait it out. You can go home. I’m okay.”

Dahyun could tell that the girl was lying, she was not okay at all. She was still shaking and the storm didn’t seem to get any lighter. Dahyun stood up and offered her hand to the other girl.

“Come on, I’ll walk you home. It’s really no problem. Besides, you said you only live a few blocks away.”

Sana hesitated for a moment, after a few seconds she took Dahyun’s soft hand and stood up. Dahyun immediately covered her with her umbrella and put her arm around her waist to help her walk. Sana found herself a bit surprised at the touch, but something inside her found it secure and comforting.

“Which way?”

“This way,” Sana indicated with her index finger. “It’s only four blocks from here. I’m so sorry for making you lose your time.”

Dahyun stopped and looked at her with a serious face. “Stop that. I already said it was no problem at all.” She then smiled, her perfect lips curving into a shy smile at how serious she had gotten just a few seconds ago. She then pushed Sana’s back to make her keep on walking. Thunder kept on roaring and the rain kept on falling creating a thick curtain as they made their way to Sana’s apartment. From time to time Dahyun could feel Sana shake and restrain herself from letting out yelps every time the God of thunder unleashed all its power. Dahyun tightened her arm on her waist and murmured soft ‘It’s okays’.

They walked fast considering the situation. Still, they never seemed to get closer to their destination. “It’s on the next block. We have to cross the street and walk a few more metres.” They got to the corner of the street and waited for the traffic light to change. Just as they stepped onto the street, a car turned around the corner at a high speed, soaking Dahyun and Sana to their bones. Both of them stood paralysed, the driver didn’t even bother to apologize. “Look at the traffic lights next time, moron!” Dahyun yelled at the retreating car.

Sana shook her arm signalling for them to keep on walking. “The only thing that’s missing from this horrible night is a fight. Just let it go.”

They crossed the street and got to Sana’s apartment complex. They stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say. Dahyun swayed with the umbrella between both her hands. “Okay, here we are.”

“Here we are,” repeated Sana. “Thank you, Dahyun. Really.” Sana smiled at her, now visibly calmer in comparison to when Dahyun first saw her. The waitress couldn’t help but think that she had one of the prettiest smiles she had ever seen.

Sana searched for the front door key on her jacket pocket and slowly walked towards it. She looked back at Dahyun, the other girl was completely soaked, her previous natural waves now straightened and her grey shirt sticking to her body.

“Come inside.” The words left her mouth before she could process them. When she realised what she had said her eyes went wide and she stumbled over her words. “I- I mean… it’s still raining really bad and you are soaked and- and it’s my fault. Besides, you’re probably very tired and just wanted to get home but I-”

“Sana. Stop rambling.” Dahyun laughed, her eyes turning into small crescents.

“I’m sorry. It’s just that I don’t even know you but you still helped me. I just want to return the favour.” After a moment she continued. “I can at least lend you some dry clothes. Or offer you a hot cup of coffee.”

Dahyun looked down at herself. Her new shoes looked completely ruined, her backpack was soaking into her back and she was starting to feel a little cold without Sana’s warmth next to her. Dahyun stole a glance at her watch, 3:48am. She had already missed the last bus. She looked at Sana, who was already looking at her.

“Okay.” Sana brightened at that. “How can I say no to a hot cup of coffee?” Her brain was not so sure about going inside a stranger’s house at almost 4am, but her heart somehow knew that Sana was not that kind of person. She walked towards Sana and they both walked inside the complex. Sana guided them to the stairs and then they walked down a long hallway until they came in front of a wooden door with a hand painted ‘103’ on it.

Sana opened the door and let Dahyun go in first. The shorter girl stood inside and took off her shoes, immediately apologizing for making a mess. Sana took hers off as well and went to fetch a towel for Dahyun and one for herself. She took off her leather jacket and hanged it on the coat rack in order to dry it a bit with her towel. Dahyun dried herself as much as possible and then remembered her backpack.

“Shit,” she muttered under her breath before opening the old thing and taking out her notebooks. She inspected them carefully, they were only a bit wet on the edges. She quickly dried them with the towel Sana had given her and placed them on top of a small table that was on her left side.

“Are they fine?” Sana questioned with worry in her voice.

“Yes, a little bit wet but they are fine. I got scared for a moment,” Dahyun confessed releasing a nervous laugh.

“Uni things?” Sana was now drying her pink hair.

“Yeah, music sheets and notes.” Dahyun took off her wet socks and covered her head with the towel to dry the excess of water.

“Oh, you’re a musician?” Sana asked interested.

“Yeah, I play the piano and I’m studying music composition at uni.”

“Wow, that sounds difficult.” Sana stood with her eyes fixed on the unknown girl in front of her.

“Yeah, sometimes it makes me question every decision I’ve made in life but at the end of the day it’s what I love the most, you know?” Dahyun lifted the towel and sent her a smile.

“That’s good.” Sana said sincerely. “Hey, I’ll get changed and bring you some dry clothes. Please stay here.” With that, she disappeared down a corridor. Dahyun looked around her, the apartment was nice. It wasn’t big but she figured that that was what gave it a nice cozy feel. She peeked around the wall and into the living room, the white walls were filled with photographs, she could make out Sana and a few other girls on a beach, a small dog, a house. A few other papers that looked like concert tickets were also all over the wall, some fairy lights, strings with something written on them.

“Here you go. You can use the bathroom, it’s the first door on the right down the corridor there,” the other girl interrupted her from her reverie. Sana had come back wearing an old oversized grey shirt and checkered pants. Her hair was up in a bun and she had removed her makeup. Dahyun thought she looked extremely cute, and she was prettier than she remembered.

“Oh, thank you.” Dahyun took the folded clothes and walked to where Sana had signalled. She changed into the white t-shirt and black sweatpants and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like a mess, the purple under her eyes was even more visible now, her hair was all tangled, and the thin coat of mascara that she had put on before her shift was running on her face. She removed it with some makeup remover that was next to Sana’s mirror and brushed her hair. Her eyes were protesting the contact lenses, so she opened the door and walked towards where she had left her backpack.

“Does it fit?” Sana asked from the kitchen. She was preparing the promised cup of coffee.

“Yeah, it’s fine. Thank you.” Dahyun took out her contact lenses and put on her glasses. She didn’t like wearing them outside of her home, but this was an exception.

She hesitantly walked towards the small kitchen. Sana smiled at her. “Do you need help?”

“It’s okay. You helped me enough already. Make yourself comfortable.”

Dahyun did as she was told and slowly made her way towards the couch. She stopped in front of it and looked more closely at the photographs she had seen a few moments before. They all showed a smiley Sana with other smiley people in different places. Some of them where on a beach, others of what looked like a party, another one of Sana blowing birthday candles and wearing a pink birthday hat, the one next to it was of Sana between a man and a woman whom Dahyun assumed were her parents due to the resemblance.

“Here you go. Making delicious coffee is my secret special talent so prepare yourself to be blown away.”

Dahyun took the yellow mug between her hands and let the sweet smell and warmth travel her body. “Thank you. So… I have no choice but to like it?.”

“Try it and let’s see.” Sana answered confidently as she took a sip of her own before sitting down on the couch. Dahyun sat down next to her and prepared herself to taste what had been advertised as the best coffee of her life. She blew a bit at it before taking some of the liquid into her mouth and swallowing. Her eyes went wide as she stared at Sana, who in return looked smug.

“I told you.”

“This is so good!” Dahyun said excitedly as she took another sip. “There’s a flavour I can’t quite distinguish though. Is it caramel? No! It’s chocolate. Cinnamon?” Dahyun tried to guess.

“That’s my special ingredient. Only a few people know about it.”

“So the recipe for this amazing coffee is almost as secret as the one for the Krabby Patty?”

“Oh, no. It’s even more secret.”

Both of them laughed. Sana lifted her feet and made herself more comfortable. Dahyun could sense that she was staring at her, but she didn’t know what to say.

“I see that you’ve travelled a lot.”

“Yeah, now not so much but I used to.” Sana lifted her eyes to the photographs on the wall.

“Why not?”

“Well, I guess we all grew up and started to have more responsibilities. But my friends and I still try to at least go somewhere once a year. Even if just for a weekend.”

“That’s nice. I’ve never travelled much. My parents were always worried about my grandma being left alone and my friends… well, I don’t know why but we’ve never been on a trip together. I guess living in the city and having everything close makes you lazy.”

“Yeah, I kinda miss home. I still can’t get used to all the noise of the city and I miss my family and friends sometimes. But at least I have Momo and new friends here.”

“Your parents are in Japan?”

“How could you tell?” Sana asked amused. “I thought my accent was perfect.”

“Well, i’m a musician so I guess I have a good ear. Besides, your accent is cute.”

Sana could feel her cheeks heating up at that. She looked at the mug in her hands and shifted a little bit.

“Tell me about you, Dahyun.”

“What do you wanna know?” Dahyun asked with a smile tugging at her lips.

“What were you doing walking in the rain at 3am?”

“I had just gotten off work. I work at The Reverie, the restaurant, do you know it?”

“Yeah, I do. Never been there though.” After a moment, Sana went on. “So you work unholy hours and then go to uni in the morning? That’s impressive.”

“Yeah, it’s not what I want to do with my life but I need the money so I have no other choice.” Dahyun swallowed the last sip of her coffee and put the mug on the coffee table. “Do you study, or work?”

“Yes, I study physical therapy at uni and also contemporary dance at an academy. Momo and I also give dance classes to kids two times a week.”

“Wow, and you said I was impressive.”

Sana let out a laugh and Dahyun couldn’t help but smile as well. Sana’s laugh was almost as beautiful as her.

“I mean it’s exhausting and sometimes I just wanna stay in bed all day, but at the same time I love it and I can’t see myself doing anything else.”

Sana stood up and went to the fridge, she opened the door and stared at the inside for a while. “I want to be a good host and offer you something to eat but the only thing I have is pizza from yesterday night.” Sana stood straight again and looked at Dahyun.

“Oh, don’t worry about me. I eat anything at any time.”

“Good, you’re like me then.” Sana smiled and took the pizza from the fridge, making her way to the couch again. “I’m not sure about the coffee and pizza combination though.”

“It’s good, I’ve had it before.”

The rain kept on falling and drowning any other sound from the outside. A loud thunder interrupted the safe haven they had created inside Sana’s apartment. The pink-haired girl let out a small gasp and curled into herself in the couch. Dahyun immediately placed her slice of pizza back on the plate and put a reassuring hand on Sana’s back, drawing invisible small circles until the other girl opened her eyes.

Sana covered her face with her hands and put her knees to her chest after calming down for a few seconds. Dahyun’s hand was now on her shoulder but no words left her mouth, she knew she needed to give her some time.

“I’m so sorry for this.” Sana whispered, the words leaving her mouth muffled from in between her hands. “I’m sorry that you had to walk me home and lose your time. I’m sorry that you have to see me like this, it’s just that I can’t control it.” Sana took a deep breath and lowered her hands, revealing preoccupied eyes. “I’m just so sorry for everything. This is embarrassing.”

Dahyun felt a tug at her heart. She really didn’t mind helping other people, and she just wanted to make Sana feel okay, tell her that it was fine.

“Please, Sana, just stop apologising. If I didn’t want to be here then I wouldn’t be. It was my choice, okay?” Dahyun said in a low voice, her hand still touching Sana’s shoulder, she then moved it upwards to tuck a strand of hair behind the girl’s ear. “Look at me.”

Sana did as she was told.

“It’s really not a bother to be here. I-,” all of a sudden Dahyun got a bit nervous. Sana looked at her expectantly. “I… like this. I mean, you seem like a nice person and you are funny and make the best coffee I’ve ever tasted in my life.”

Sana let out a shy laugh.

“And it’s not embarrassing to be scared of something. We are human, it’s normal to be frightened.”

“Thank you.” Sana said looking straight into the other girl’s eyes.

“Okay, let’s eat now.” Dahyun picked her slice up again and took a big bite. “Actually, I think leftover pizza tastes better.”

Sana just sat in silence looking at the girl sitting next to her. She was undeniably pretty, her hair was almost dry now and some waves had formed. There was no other description for her eyes other than they looked kind, and her glasses gave her an even cuter touch.

“I think so too.”

“So, you were telling me about your studies and work. You seem to mention Momo a lot, is she your friend… girlfriend or something? Dahyun asked tentatively.

Sana made a face of disgust. “Momo? My girlfriend? Oh please, God no. She’s like a sister, we’ve known each other since we were four years old. Besides, she has a girlfriend already.”

“Damn, that’s a lifetime.”

“Yeah, we used to go to kindergarten together, we became inseparable the moment we met. My mom used to say that she didn’t remember giving birth to another child. That’s how much time we spent together. We graduated together, we left home together, we came here together.” Sana smiled at the memories, a weird feeling of homesickness struck her. “I can’t imagine my life without her.”

“I get that, my best friend Chaeyoung and I have also known each other for years. We shared so many things together, I think 98 per cent of my memories involve her in some way or another.”

“Exactly. The same happens to me.” Sana finished her food and cleaned her fingers. A part of her couldn’t understand the connection she already felt with Dahyun. She had only known the other girl for a few hours but somehow she felt that she could talk about anything with her. Sana wouldn’t call herself shy but she never found it easy to open up to strangers. Dahyun was an exception.

“Do you live alone here or do you have a roommate?”

“Well, Momo used to live here but a few months ago she moved with Nayeon, her girlfriend, to her place. She was devastated to leave me, but I could tell that she really wanted to be with her. I mean, it’s weird to not have her around all the time eating my food and to not see her clothes all over the place. And even if we see each other all the time I just miss her like crazy sometimes.”

“That’s understandable, from what you’re telling me you both went through a lot together.”

“Yeah, she’s my rock. You know, she was the only one who knew how to handle me when storms broke out.” Sana laughed a little as a memory came into her mind. “The first time it happened was a few months after the accident and she didn’t know what to do. We must have been around fourteen at the time. We were leaving school and going to buy some ice-cream, all of a sudden the sky got really grey and it started pouring. Then thunder. My ears started ringing and I dropped my bike. I just crouched and covered my ears. I don’t remember much except Momo yelling over the rain, asking me why I stopped and if I was okay. She got off her bike and ran towards me, she tried to make me stand up but I just couldn’t move, I was paralysed. She just hugged me. Her arms wrapped me so tightly towards her chest I could only focus on the beating of her heart. She rocked us a bit and whispered that everything would be okay.” Sana looked at Dahyun, the other girl had been listening intently to her story. “We just stayed there in the middle of the street until the storm passed, she never let go.”

Dahyun was speechless, the tight knot in her throat not letting her swallow. Something about Sana’s story made her heart break in half. Imagining the girl so scared and unable to control what she was feeling made her feel impotence, even if she barely knew Sana she felt the need to make sure she was well.

“You… you mentioned an accident. I mean, don’t feel pressured to talk about it if you don’t feel comfortable, but I-” Dahyun cleared her throat, unsure how to phrase what she wanted to ask without making Sana uncomfortable.

“Yeah. We were going on holidays with my family, my dad was driving and it was pouring. We thought about waiting it out but we wanted to get early to celebrate my aunt’s birthday. A car came out of the fog and crashed into us, we all ended up in the hospital.” Sana took a deep breath. “The following months were hell, my mom ended up in a coma but luckily after three weeks she woke up. I mean, everything turned out alright in the end, but since then, I don’t know, storms just send me into a state of shock.”

Sana could feel her eyes starting to sting. She tried to blink the tears away but couldn’t. A tear fell down her cheek and she covered her face with her hands. Suddenly, warm arms were enveloping her. Dahyun hugged her tightly, the way Momo used to do. She drew circles on her back, like she had done before. Sana could feel her even breaths hitting her nape and something about that made her calm down a bit.

She created some distance and wiped her tears again. Dahyun looked at her with a reassuring smile.

“I’m glad you’re all okay.” She said in a low voice.

“Me too,” Sana replied, Dahyun’s warmth still lingering all around her.

They then sat in a comfortable silence for a while. Dahyun could tell that Sana was still thinking about her parents, about the accident, about how much she suffered at that time. She could sense the other girl oozing with anxiety. She put her hand next to Sana’s on the couch and slowly took her hand in hers and gave it a small squeeze. Sana closed her eyes at the touch and silently got closer to Dahyun to rest her head on her shoulder. She really didn’t know why she did that but it felt right nonetheless.

Dahyun’s alarm woke them up. The sun was blinding as it filtered through Sana’s living room curtains. Dahyun opened her eyes and it took her a few seconds to recognise where she was and what was happening. Sana was still sleeping, her head on Dahyun’s lap. The younger girl turned the alarm off and took a moment to decide what to do with the sleeping girl sprawled over her.

“Sana,” she whispered so as not to scare her. “Sana, i’m sorry to wake you but I need to leave for uni.”

“Five more minutes,” Sana murmured as she stirred a bit to get more comfortable.

“I’m really sorry but I need to get to class. Finals are getting closer and I can’t afford to miss class.”

Sana opened her eyes, confused, she looked up and saw Dahyun’s face looking down at her. She sat up without missing a beat.

“Shit… we fell asleep.”

Dahyun stood up and started to look for her things. Her body hurt like hell.

“Yeah, I’m sorry I have to leave like this.” Dahyun stopped and looked at the other girl, who was now walking towards the kitchen.

“No problem, I’ve been enough of a burden for a day, I can’t make you late to class as well.” Sana opened the cupboard to make some of her famous coffee.

“Sanaaa,” Dahyun dragged out the word, tired of having to tell the girl for the nth time that she was not a burden nor a problem nor any of the other things Sana had said to be.

Sana raised her hands in defeat, realising what she had said. “I’m sorry.”

Dahyun went to the bathroom, taking her now dry clothes to change. She walked into the living room area again and looked for her phone in between the couch cushions. Sana’s voice brought her back to reality.

“Um, Dahyun.”

“Yeah?” she answered without lifting her gaze.

“You do realise that shirt is dirty, right? Remember that stupid driver who soaked us?”

Dahyun stood straight and looked down at her shirt.

“Dammit.”

“I’ll bring you a clean one.” Before the other girl could reply, Sana had already disappeared into her room.

A few moments later she handed a neatly folded shirt to Dahyun.

“Won’t you need it?” Dahyun asked before taking it.

“It’s just a white shirt, I have like four more of these.”

Dahyun took it. As she unfolded it, Sana’s perfume invaded her senses.

“Thank you. I’ll give it back to you.”

“You can keep it.”

Sana turned around so that Dahyun could change, she knew there wasn’t enough time to go to the bathroom again. The pink-haired girl went to the kitchen and continued making her coffee, she was about to put it in a thermos when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around and found Dahyun wearing her nice clean shirt and her backpack already slung over her shoulder.

“Okay, I have to go now. Thank you so much for the shirt and… you know, letting me sleep here. It was really nice to meet you.”

Sana was speechless, she felt awkward. A part of her wanted to hug Dahyun, to tell her how grateful she was that she stopped and offered her help, that she listened to her, that she comforted her. The other part, the rational one, told her that that would be weird considering they had known each other for less than 24 hours.

“I’m the one who should thank you. Not everyone would have stopped on a night like that.”

“Oh, that’s just an ancient teaching: always ask pretty girls if they need help, especially if it’s raining,” Dahyun said with an important voice. Sana laughed. Dahyun felt butterflies in her stomach at the sound.

“Okay, bye.” Dahyun gave her a quick hug and made her way to the front door.

Sana stood still, the thermos she had prepared for the other girl in her hand.

“Your cof-” but Dahyun was already out the door.

Dahyun walked to the bus stop, her head flooding with images of Sana, her smile and the way her nose scrunched up when she laughed. How soft her hand felt in hers and how delicious her coffee tasted. How much she loved her family and friends and how she had opened up to her.

After getting on the bus, Dahyun took her phone out of her pocket and opened Chaeyoung’s conversation.

Chae [07:48]  
Dude, where are you? You said we were going to get breakfast before class

Chae [08:16]  
Dahyun answer meeeeeeee

Chae [08:29]  
I’m going to class  
You better have a good reason for standing me up

Dahyun [08:35]  
I’m so sorryyyyyyyyyyyy  
I’ll make it up to you, I promise  
Also… last night was interesting to say the least  
I’ll tell you all about it after class

Chae [08:43]  
Good, you’re still alive  
YOU FINALLY GOT LAID?

Dahyun [08:46]  
No  
Why do you always have to have your head in the gutter?

Chae [08:47]  
Well, one of us has to

Dahyun [08:49]  
I did meet someone tho

Chae [08:49]  
SPILL NOW

Dahyun [08:53]  
Long story  
I told you I’ll tell you after class

Chae [08:54]  
You can’t say that you met someone and then make me wait for HOURS to know the details  
That’s just mean

Dahyun [08:57]  
Life is harsh

Chae [08:57]  
I hate you

Dahyun [08:58]  
No, you don’t

Chae [09:01]  
I don’t  
But where are you? Class is about to start

Dahyun [09:02]  
Going up the stairs  
Be there in a second

Dahyun opened the classroom door and looked for Chaeyoung in between the other students. Her friend waved her over to the back of the room.

“Why are you late? It’s not like you.”

“Weird night, I told you.” Dahyun opened her backpack and took her notebook and pen out.

“What’s her name?” asked Chaeyoung with a smirk on her face.

“What?”

“What’s the name of the girl you met?”

Dahyun stared at her friend with a disbelieving look. “How do you know it’s a girl?”

“Oh, please. We all know how you get when you meet a girl. Or do I have to remind you of what happened two summers ago?”

Dahyun gave her a death stare. “You promised not to talk about that ever again.”

“Okay. But I do know that shirt isn’t yours.”

“So now you know all my wardrobe?”

“Actually I do. You have like four looks in total. But that’s not how I noticed...” Chaeyoung paused for a moment to create some expectancy. “It’s the perfume that gave it away.”

The door opened and the professor walked in holding his briefcase and sporting a stern face. All the students sat straight in their seats and waited for the class to begin.

\------------------------

After classes, Dahyun and Chaeyoung made their way to the cafeteria. The place was full with students hustling to get the best food before there was nothing left. At this time of the year there were more students than usual, as they stayed after class to study for finals.

"Okay, it's later now. Time to tell me what the hell happened last night." Chaeyoung demanded as she sat down with her tray full of food.

"It'll sound weird…" Dahyun started with a bit of an annoyed tone at her insisting friend.

"Dahyun I swear to God if you don't speak now i'm gonna be obliged to stab you with these chopsticks."

"Okay, okay. So... last night, at around 3am, I had gotten off from work and was walking to the bus stop when I noticed a girl crying. It was raining really really hard and she was soaked from head to toe, crouching near the cinema’s entrance."

Chaeyoung looked at her friend attentively but with her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"I mean I couldn't keep on walking without asking her if she needed help, so I got closer and she looked so damn scared it broke my heart." Dahyun took a sip of her juice and nibbled at her sandwich. "So I stayed with her for a bit, asked her if there was someone I could call or something but her phone had died and she didn't remember any number."

"Okay…" Chaeyoung urged her after Dahyun paused to chew on her food once more.

"Turns out she's terrified of storms. I ended up walking her home…"

"And how does that explain your appearance today?" Chaeyoung asked confused.

"Well… once we got there she invited me in. My clothes were ruined from an idiot in a car who took a curb too fast and ended up washing me in dirty water."

"Hold on. So you're telling me you went into a stranger's house?!? Dahyun what the hell? She could have been a serial killer or a pimp or a supporter of cannibalism."

"Yeah, I don't think Sana is any of that." Dahyun laughed.

Chaeyoung scrutinized the smile on her friend's face for a second. "Sana?"

"Yep, that's her name. And she's nothing like that, I swear. She lent me clothes and made me delicious coffee and we just spent time together chatting about anything and everything and she's so interesting and caring and-"

"Wow there. You seem a tiny bit excited talking about her." Chaeyoung stated, her eyes showing something between uncertainty and protectiveness.

"Well, she was a nice girl." Dahyun looked at her food as she played with it. "Pretty too. Very pretty actually."

"I knew it! You don't have a brain anymore you are controlled by your gayness. You see a pretty girl and you just go on autopilot."

"Oh please, you're talking as if you didn't spend the first year of uni just staring at Tzuyu without being able to formulate a coherent sentence. 'Hey Tz- Tzuyu wanna hang out later? I know a radical place nearby.'" Dahyun imitated her friend with a mocking tone. "Who the hell says 'radical'?"

"Well, she's my girlfriend now so who's the loser here?" Chaeyoung sent Dahyun a smug grin. "Besides, I got to know her in a safe environment unlike you who just walks into strangers’ houses and spends the night without even telling anyone where she is. You could have at least sent me a text, that way I would've known where to look for you if you were kidnapped."

"I understand, Chae. But, I don't know, there's something about Sana I can't explain. She's just nice, you know when you meet someone and you can immediately tell that they could never do wrong? She's like that. She makes you feel comfortable and safe."

"Okay… I believe you but you gotta be careful." After a moment of eating in silence she asked "You can at least show me a picture, in case I need to describe her to the police for a facial composite."

At that Dahyun stopped altogether what she was doing and looked blankly into her friend's eyes. "Shit. I never asked for her number or instagram or anything. I'm an idiot."

"So you're telling me you went into a girl's house, spent the night there, talked all night, fell asleep, took her clothes and you didn't have ten seconds to ask for her number… You really are useless."

"You know what? For the first time in your life you're right."

\----------------------------

Sana sat on the couch, a few books and notebooks opened on the coffee table. She had to study, quite a lot actually but her mind wouldn't stop thinking about Dahyun.

Sana rested her head against the wall and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She couldn't believe that she had actually invited a stranger in and bared her heart. She had always been outgoing and extroverted but she had never found it easy to talk about her feelings or personal things, the first and only person she had been able to talk freely to without feeling judged was Momo. But there had been something about Dahyun that made her feel secure. Maybe it was the rainy weather or the fact that it was very late, that time when inhibitions and walls disappear and the words flow unrestricted.

Sana looked at her watch. Momo was going to drop by so that they could go through a new choreography together. She really didn't feel like moving at all, but she knew she had to do it, after all it was her job.

Momoring [16:43]  
I'm outside

Sana [16:44]  
What happened to your keys?

Momoring [16:45]  
Forgot them

Sana [16:45]  
Don't feel like going down the stairs  
Go to my window, I'll throw them

Momoring [16:46]  
Lazy ass

Sana [16:48]  
Do you wanna stay outside?

Momo [16:48]  
Just throw them

Sana got up and fetched her keys from the small bowl near the door. She opened the window, the chilly air sending shivers all over her body. Momo was looking up at her, expectant.

"Go back a bit, I don't want to take your eye out," Sana yelled

Momo did as told and took a few steps back. Sana threw the keys and closed the window. She sat down again on the couch and waited for her friend to appear.

"Heyyy," Momo said dragging the word a bit. She shuffled to the couch and positioned herself close to Sana, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Hey," Sana replied without any enthusiasm. Her head was still thinking about a certain someone. Why couldn't she take her out of her head?

Momo looked at her, confusion was evident in her whole face. "What's wrong?" She asked with a soft voice, and waited for a reply for a bit but it never came. "Is it because I didn't ask you if you got home okay yesterday?" Momo's voice was full of worry now. "I'm so sorry, Sana. I fell asleep right away, it's been a rough week. I know I should've texted you or walked you home or-"

"It's not that, Momo. You don't have to worry about that, it's okay."

"Then what is it? I can tell something is bothering you."

Momo knew her too well. Sana knew she couldn't lie to her, or hide the truth, but for some reason this was different and she couldn't understand why just yet.

"Nothing, I'm just worried about my exam."

Momo didn't look convinced but she knew when not to pressure her friend, so she just rested her head on her shoulder again and let Sana play with her hair for a while.

"I miss you here," Sana confessed in a whisper. The last thing she wanted was to make Momo regret leaving, still, a part of her wanted to have her best friend next to her forever.

"I miss it too… I don't miss your cooking though." Momo said, a smile playing on her lips, trying to lighten the mood.

"You always say my cooking is shit but then eat all the leftovers."

"That's only when I come in drunk and even a turd looks appetizing."

"So you're comparing my cooking to a turd?" Sana feigned indignance.

"Of course not… a turd tastes better."

Sana punched Momo's shoulder, which made the other girl sit up and rub at it, a pout adorning her face.

"Come on, don't be a 'lazy ass'. Let's practise."

Sana stood up, every muscle in her body protesting. Momo followed suit and started stretching.

After two hours of heavy exercise, the two girls were coated in sweat from head to toe. They didn't mean to go that hard, but somehow they ended up going through a few new choreographies for the months to come, knowing that they wouldn't have much time in the weeks to come.

Sana opened the fridge, taking a water bottle for her and one for Momo. The black-haired girl sat down and tried to catch her breath, letting her legs rest and her heart go back to its normal beating.

"We'll regret this tomorrow."

"Definitely," Sana agreed taking a big gulp of fresh water.

Momo looked at her phone and opened her eyes in shock. "Shit." She stood up and began to gather her things. "I have to run, Satang. I'll call you later. Love you." Momo was out the door in a second and Sana was left open-mouthed in the middle of the kitchen.

"Love you too," she mumbled after hearing the front door close shut.

Twice in one day, she thought. Sana grabbed an apple and took a big bite. She stared at nothing for a while and then decided to wash the dishes she had accumulated for the past two days (a habit she had promised to change but never did).

That's when she saw it. The thermos. And her head was once again flooded with blonde hair and pretty smiles.

\--------------------

Sana walked quickly, stealing a glance at her watch every few minutes. It was getting late now and the sky was already painted a deep orange. She made her way among the people of the city, careful not to bump into anyone.

She walked past the bus stop, the cinema (a thousand thoughts invading her mind at the sight of the building), the bar. She kept on walking until she was able to spot the big sign: "The Reverie".

She looked at her clock one last time: 18.00, just in time for the shift change. She didn't exactly know what had prompted her to go there, she also didn't know what she would say once Dahyun appeared, but somehow she felt that she needed to see the girl again.

Sana waited waited a few minutes until she could finally make out Dahyun from the rest of the people walking down the busy street. Her blonde hair was down and it fell perfectly down to her shoulders, she was looking at her phone and had her headphones on, exactly as the first time she had seen her. She wore an expression of tiredness, but she was still beating her fingers against her jeans to the rhythm of the song. Sana thought she looked adorable (not wanting to admit that her heart skipped a beat when she saw the other girl was still wearing her shirt.)

Sana was leaning against the wall next to the back door to the restaurant, receiving a few curious glances from the other workers of the place who didn't recognise her as one of their own. She stood still until Dahyun got closer, waiting for the girl to lift her gaze and look at her, but she never did. Dahyun was about to open the back door when Sana touched her shoulder. The blonde jumped at the sudden touch and put a hand to her chest, trying to control her heartbeat.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Sana apologized with remorseful eyes.

"Sana? What are you doing here?" Now Dahyun seemed more confused than scared.

"Nothing, I mean, you said you worked here and well I- I swear I'm not a stalker," Sana blurted out before Dahyun got any wrong impressions, "it's just that today you missed breakfast and last night you barely slept so I, well I- just wanted to give you this," Sana extended the thermos to the other girl. "It has my amazing coffee in it. Extra strong. Judging from how late you were going back home yesterday your shifts must be long, I don't want you to fall asleep."

Sana blushed a little, she was chastising herself for having thought that this was a good idea. She felt more and more nervous as the seconds flew without Dahyun taking the thermos from her hand. She was about to give up when the other girl finally moved.

Dahyun extended her hand and took the warm container between her hands. "Wow, thank you, Sana. That's really really nice of you."

Sana smiled at her and Dahyun almost dropped the precious coffee from how pretty her smile was.

"But I can't keep taking your things, I mean I'm still wearing your t-shirt and now your thermos…"

"You can give it back to me later, maybe over coffee." Sana didn't process what she had just said until she saw Dahyun's eyes wide open, a blush creeping up her neck and cheeks. "Or you can keep it, I have another one at home."

"No, I would love to have a coffee with you." Dahyun smiled, her eyes suddenly finding her shoes really interesting. Dahyun felt bold, "How about Friday? Are you free?"

"Yeah, I have a few things to do after lunch but I can make it." Sana was beaming, her heart started picking up pace at the thought of Dahyun and her on a date, well, she should probably not call it a date date but it was something.

"How about the coffee shop that's right across from the bar?" Dahyun suggested.

"Sounds great." Then Sana remembered, "Oh, we still don't have each other's numbers…"

"Right! This morning I was regretting not asking for yours." Dahyun took out her phone from her pocket and offered it to the other girl to type her number in it. Sana took it from her hands, a smile spreading on her face as she thought about Dahyun thinking about her. She quickly typed her number and saved the contact, returning the phone.

"Okay, I gotta go now, I don't want my boss to get angry at me." Still, Dahyun didn't move. She just stared at Sana's perfect face. Realising what she was doing, she looked down at her phone, "see you later, Minatozaki Sana puppy emoji purple heart emoji."

"It's not cute when you read it like that!" Sana hit her arm lightly.

"I'll text you later," Dahyun gave her one last smile before opening the door.

"Okay, bye."

Sana went back home smiling like an idiot, checking her phone every time her brain made her believe she had received a text message.

\-----------------

Sana was drifting off and she should've known this would happen the moment she thought studying in bed was a good idea. Just to rest my body a bit, she had thought as an excuse. She put her pillows against the headboard in order to make a backrest, she then put her phone down on the bedside table and looked at the pile of notes resting on her legs.

She read them for about twenty minutes before the tiredness reached her eyes, she tried to blink it away but failed miserably. Her eyes closed, and she finally stopped fighting what her body and mind needed so much.

Out of nowhere a piercing sound woke her up. She opened her eyes and with a grunt stretched her arm to reach her phone.

Unknown Number [01:30]  
[Picture] Seems like I'm collecting your merch

Sana was too tired to understand what was happening and she didn't realise who had texted her until she opened the picture attached. A beaming Dahyun was holding Sana's thermos with one hand, while her other one was showing off the t-shirt she had given her in the morning.

Sana couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. She stared at the picture for a while, Dahyun looked so happy in spite of her tired eyes that she couldn't help her fast-beating heart.

Sana debated what to text the other girl back, she didn't want to seem too blunt and tell her that she looked good in the pic, actually not just good but really really pretty. So she decided to send a playful text instead.

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [01:35]  
Yeah, but I'm not getting a single penny……

Dahyun👀 [01:36]  
HEY I SAID I'D GIVE IT BACK

Sana let out a laugh again.

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [01:36]  
It's just a joke, Dahyunnie  
What are you doing up? It's late

Dahyun👀 [01:37]  
I got out of work  
Just got home

Sana had to close her eyes for a second to process the fact that Dahyun had just gotten home after a very long day and the first thing she thought about was texting her. She hovered her fingers over the screen as she thought of a reply.

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [01:39]  
Aren't you tired?  
You should take a shower and go to sleep

Dahyun👀 [01:39]  
So you think I'm a thief and now you say I smell bad  
What a nice first impression i've left on you😪

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [01:42]  
You know I don't mean it like that!  
I just want you to relax and rest

Dahyun👀 [01:43]  
I know  
I'll go do that now, you should as well  
Talk to you tomorrow?

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [01:43]  
Definitely  
Sleep tight

Dahyun👀 [01:45]  
You too

Sana put her phone down with a smile tugging on her lips. She didn't know exactly what it was about the girl that made her feel like this, but she immediately felt better, lighter, happier.

She got ready for bed, deciding that her notes and due papers could wait till the morning. That night she dreamed of kind eyes and silly jokes.

\--------------------------

Momo and Nayeon made their way to the university cafeteria hand in hand, smiles plastered on their faces as they laughed aloud at something on Nayeon's phone. Sana saw them get closer and waved them over.

"Hey, Satang," Momo greeted before flopping down on the seat next to hers.

"Hi," Sana said with a smile. "What were you guys laughing about?" Sana asked, not being able to control her curiosity.

"You know Jeongyeon, right? My old high school friend?" Nayeon replied in between bursts of laughter.

"Yeah, I've seen her a few times."

"Well, she went out on a date with this g- girl she's been in love with fo- for months," Nayeon tried to explain, still letting out cackles. Momo started laughing too, and Sana just wanted them to finish the story so she could join them.

"They went to a park or something and she found an old skateboard," Nayeon was barely breathing at this point. "And she wanted to show off in front of Mina but she ended up tripping over a crack in the pavement and fell but- but that's not the worst part..." Nayeon never finished her story so Momo took her girlfriend's phone and looked for the video evidence, playing it so they could all watch it together.

In the video, a smug-looking Jeongyeon walks up to a trash bin and takes the skateboard. She puts it on the ground and starts skating around, doing a few tricks every now and then. Some cheers are heard coming from the person recording, probably Mina. Jeongyeon keeps on skating and she's sending mina a heart when suddenly she's on the floor, clutching her wrist. When she remembers that Mina's recording her, she strikes a pose as if she were a model doing a photoshoot on the beach, pretending that nothing happened. A very worried Mina still runs to her and asks her if she's okay. The other girl just replied that it was all part of the act. Mina's video shakes as she helps the other girl up, and tells her to grab her things cause she's taking her to get her wrist checked. The video ends.

The three girls are now laughing in unison, their tummies and cheeks hurting, tears running down their faces.

"HER FACE AT THE END" Nayeon pointed out as she stopped the video on a specific frame. "SHE JUST PRETENDED EVERYTHING WAS FINE."

"And the pose," Momo reminded her.

"Oh God, I love her so much," Nayeon said as she regained her breath.

Sana's phone beeped and, before she could take it, Momo's eyes were already reading who had sent her a text.

"Who's 'Dahyun perverted eyes emoji'?"

Sana was taken by surprise, she still didn't feel like telling Momo everything that had happened in the past two days. She loved her friend more than anything, and they had no secrets between them, but this was… different. It was hers, and she wanted to keep it like that for a little more, at least until she was ready.

"It's not a perverted eyes emoji. It's just… eyes," Sana tried to deviate the conversation.

"Sana…" Momo gave her one of her staredowns, and she knew she wouldn't back down until she told her.

"Just a girl I met," Sana explained nonchalantly.

"And you didn't think of telling me!" Momo chastised, playful but still a little hurt that her best friend in the whole world hadn't trusted her.

"I just met her a few days ago, it's nothing," Sana knew that that was a true statement, even so her heart dropped a bit. Dahyun was more than 'nothing', so much more.

"Still… when I met Nayeon I immediately ran home and told you all about it."

"You did that? That's so embarrassing," Nayeon said, resting a condescending hand on her girlfriend's shoulder.

"You know, Jeongyeon told me that after our first date you went to her house and started looking for an apartment closer to mine, you u-haul lesbian."

Nayeon gasped, feeling betrayed by her best friend. "I'll kill her."

Momo stuck her tongue out at her girlfriend, delighted about having won the fight.

"Anyways…" Momo dragged the word as she turned her face towards Sana, "what's important now is that my dear friend over here didn't tell me she was banging someone."

"I'm not banging her! I just met her!"

"Well, tell me about her. What's her name? Where does she live? Does she study, work? Does she have any siblings? What about pets? You know I can't let you date someone who doesn't like animals," Momo blurted out without stopping for air.

"Okay, I'm leaving. Byeee," Sana took her bag and stood up but Momo's hand on her forearm stopped her.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm just excited for you. Don't leave," Momo looked up at her with puppy eyes and an irresistible pout.

Sana sat down again with a huff. Momo and Nayeon kept looking at her expectantly. Sana reasoned there was no point in keeping it a secret anymore.

"You know the other day when I left your apartment? Well, as I was walking it started raining and I know I told you not to worry about it when you texted, I- I thought I could do it alone, you know?" Sana fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

"Sana…" Momo started with a remorseful tone but Sana interrupted her.

"It's okay, Momoring. I know I'll be able to do it sometime, just… not yet."

Momo placed her hand on top of hers and rubbed it gently with her thumb, waiting for Sana to continue.

"Then the thunder started and I couldn't control myself, I just crouched and waited for it to pass until…" Sana couldn't help the smile that crept on her face, "until Dahyun approached me and asked if I needed help, she- she was very nice and gentle and walked me home. Then I invited her in." Sana was now nervous at her friends' reactions.

Momo and Nayeon looked at each other, still they remained silent.

"So what happened then?" Nayeon asked as she munched on a peach. Fitting, reasoned Sana.

"We just talked and talked for hours, it was nice and she's a great listener. I felt as if I'd known her for years, and I think she felt that too. She's really funny as well, you would like her." Sana searched for her friend's eyes and she found warmth there.

"I'm sure I would." Momo smiled at her. At her words Sana felt some kind of relief, as if Momo gave Dahyun her blessing. Sana didn't know exactly blessing for what but she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. If there's one thing Sana absolutely hates is keeping things from her best friend.

"Are you going to invite her to our New Year's Eve party?"

Sana had absolutely forgotten about it. Sana and Momo used to throw their infamous New Year's Eve party every year, they said it was just a party but all their friends knew they did it because they missed home and their families and didn't want to be alone. Money was scarce so a video call would have to do.

"Uhh, I don't know. Actually, I had completely forgotten about it."

"Come on, we can't not do it!" Momo said from her side. "It's tradition." Sana knew how mopey Momo got around the holidays, so she had no choice but to do anything and everything her friend asked of her (even if it involved dressing up as a sexy Santa -with a beard included- just to make her laugh).

"Okay, you both have to help me with the preparations though. I'm swamped with exams and papers now so I need as much help as I can get. We should call Jihyo as well and ask her for some help."

"I was just talking to her yesterday, she said she had some new karaoke songs ready for the party…" Nayeon added with a playful smile.

Jihyo was initially Nayeon's friend. They used to hang together all the time, and along with Jeogyeon they were inseparable. When Momo met Nayeon their group of friends started to hang out together more and, well, now they were all friends. Even if Jihyo had been kind of M.I.A. these past few months because of university and her job and getting her music career started, she was still an invaluable friend. She made Momo and Sana feel at ease when they first moved to the country and her friendship was one they could always count on, no matter how much time had passed without hanging out together.

"Oh, so you all already assumed I was going to throw this party."

"Obviously, you have no choice, baby. I'll get the alcohol," Momo smirked at her girlfriend, who gave her a wink.

Sana knew that Momo and alcohol was a bad combination, but what else could she do? There were still a few weeks left until the party and she needed to focus on other things for now. How much damage could Nayeon and Momo do?

\----------------------

Dahyun couldn't wait for classes to be over. She had woken up way too early again to revise for her exam but the moment she remembered that it was Friday she couldn't help the giddiness feeling that invaded her body.

Sana and her had been texting nonstop for the past few days since the last time she saw her. The conversation never seemed to find an end and they would talk about anything.

However, Dahyun couldn't stop feeling a bit uneasy at seeing the girl again. Maybe it was just her expectations or the fact that she really liked her and was excited to see her face to face, but all throughout the day she kept on thinking about Sana.

When the professor finally dismissed class, Dahyun bolted out of her seat and headed to the door in a second. She left the building and headed home. She checked the clock, one hour until she had to meet with Sana at the coffee shop.

Once she got inside, she quickly got rid of her clothes and hopped into the shower. The warm water hit her back and immediately relaxed her muscles. She had to hurry up if she wanted to be on time, though, so she massaged her scalp with her favourite shampoo and after finishing washing up she started getting ready. In the middle of the haze of seeing Sana again she had forgotten to think about what to wear. Panic immediately seized her.

Dahyun [10:50]  
SON CHAEYOUNG  
I NEED YOUR HELP  
IT’S A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION  
CHAEEEEEE

Chae [10:52]  
I’m in class  
What is it?

Dahyun [10:52]  
I don’t know what to wear

Chae [10:54]  
And how is that my problem?

Dahyun [10:54]  
You’re my friend  
And…  
I have a “date” with sana

Chae [10:55]  
WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS JUST NOW?  
Also, what’s the difference between a real date and a “date”’?

Dahyun [10:55]  
I don’t know! i was nervous i guess  
And i don’t know if she considers this a real date so for now it’s a “date”

Chae [10:56]  
Okay... let me think

Dahyun [11:06]  
Chae you better think quickly cause i need to leave in 10

Chae [11:08]  
I got it! that nice white shirt you wore for your birthday and the jeans that make your butt look good  
Casual but nice

Dahyun [11:09]  
Why are you staring at my butt?

Chae [11:09]  
Don’t take it personally  
I stare at everyone’s butts 😏

Dahyun [11:10]  
Same…

Dahyun threw her phone on the bed again and opened her closet, taking out the clothes her friend had chosen for her. She changed quickly, put on some perfume, did some light makeup and let her hair fall naturally over her shoulders.

She walked out into the street and made her way to the coffee shop. As she looked inside, she could see Sana sitting at a table. She was looking at something on her phone, a hand resting on her cheek, her hair in subtle waves and eyes glinting. She looked up and saw Dahyun on the other side of the glass window and a smile immediately formed on her lips. Dahyun smiled as well and Sana waved at her, gesturing for her to come inside.

The moment she opened the door, an incredible smell of coffee and cinnamon surrounded her in a warm embrace. One of her favourite smells was that of coffee shops on cold days. She made her way to where Sana was sitting, as she got closer Sana got up and waited for her with open arms. Dahyun put her arms around the other girl in a quick hug before sitting down. Sana’s perfume lingering in her mind.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Dahyun apologized as she took off her coat.

“No, I was just early. It was either being early here or using that time to do laundry and sadly that last option wasn’t as attractive as this one,” Sana laughed.

“Did you order anything?”

“No, I was waiting for you.”

“Okay, what would you like then?”

“Hot chocolate with marshmallows, you?” Sana replied with a big smile.

Dahyun kept on reading the menu for a bit. “I was thinking coffee, but I’m sure nothing would be as tasty as yours.” Dahyun looked up at Sana, who had a subtle blush rushing to her cheeks.

“Oh, shut up.”

Dahyun waved the waiter over and ordered for the both of them.

“So, what have you been up to?” Sana asked her as she sipped on her hot chocolate once it arrived.

“Same old, classes then work,” Dahyun answered as she put some sugar on her coffee. “But… I’ve been working on a new piano piece and I think it’s going quite well. I’m happy with it.”

“That’s amazing! I would love to hear something you’ve written some time.” Sana looked at her with genuine happiness in her eyes, a cream moustache adorning her upper lip. Dahyun couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“What? I mean it.”

“It’s not that. It’s just that you- um- you’ve got some cream on your face.”

Sana used a napkin to wipe her mouth but a small bit remained.

“Let me,” Dahyun said as she leaned over the table and used her finger to help her. “There you go.”

Sana just sat without moving for a seconds and then looked at her hands, her face turning pink. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” Dahyun thought she was adorable. Sana cleared her throat and played with the handle of her mug.

“So, when will I be able to listen to some of your music? I’m really curious.”

“Whenever you want. I can play it live for you, if- if you want me to, obviously.”

Sana’s face illuminated at the other girl’s words. “I would really really like that.”

“Okay then.” Dahyun gifted her the most beautiful smile Sana had ever seen.

“What kind of music do you compose?”

“I’ve been classically trained for most of my life, but for the past few years I’ve been trying something more modern and mixing different genres.”

Sana looked genuinely surprised and amazed at her. “Okay, Beethoven. If I had known I was going on a date with the next greatest pianist of this generation I would have done some research on some piano terms or something. Now I feel dumb. ”

Dahyun smiled at the word “date”, so Sana did consider this a date date. “Oh, I wish. Besides, a ‘dumb’ person would never write a whole song to memorise all the muscles of the body so I think I am the one lacking here.”

They both drank their beverages, laughs and anecdotes flying around them, making them forget their surroundings and all the people leaving and entering the shop. Time flew without them noticing.

“So… I’ve been thinking…” Sana said as she fixed her hair a bit.

“Thinking about what?” Dahyun asked, a little bit surprised and scared at what Sana was about to say.

“Every year Momo and I throw a New Year’s Eve party at my apartment for our friends as, you know, being away from home is kinda hard for us… and well- I was thinking that maybe you would like to come,” Sana looked at Dahyun for some kind of reaction, “You can bring your friends too, so you don’t feel uncomfortable.”

Dahyun was surprised at the offer. In retrospect, she had known Sana for less than a week but somehow she wanted her to be there to celebrate a very special holiday with her and those she loved. The thought warmed her heart.

As Dahyun didn’t say anything, Sana was quick to add. “Don’t feel pressured, I understand if you have other plans or don’t feel like it.”

“No, no, I would love to. I’ll let Chaeyoung and Tzuyu know,” Dahyun finally answered with a smile.

Sana looked relieved, she let out a breath. “Great, I’ll let the other girls know as well. Do you and your friends drink? We’re trying to get everything ready as soon as possible.”

“Yeah, I mean I’m not the best drinker but I do occasionally. Chae and Tzuyu drink like old men, so yeah.”

“Okay then, I’ll add more alcohol to the shopping list. Any allergies?”

Dahyun was just amazed at the girl in front of her. People didn’t normally ask these many questions about allergies and preferences, especially for a party. The fact that Sana cared so much about her guests was heartwarming.

“Not on my part and I don’t think the girls have either.”

“Great,” Sana finished typing on her phone and locked her phone.

“I can help you with the shopping if you want, it’s kind of unfair that on top of using your apartment you’re also doing all the preparations.”

“Oh, don’t worry I have Momo on a short leash. She may not be my roommate anymore but we’re in this together,” after a beat Sana added, “You can help me decorate, though.”

The way she said that last phrase sounded so innocent and genuine, Dahyun had no option but to accept.

“Yeah, I love decorating.”

“Really? I just find it tiring.”

“No, with the right music everything is good.”

“Okay, then you bring the playlist and I’ll get everything ready for us to get to work.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Sana finished the last piece of her apple pie and looked at her watch. Her smile immediately transformed.

“Shit. I have to run. I have a class in ten minutes.” She stood up and put on her coat, then opened her wallet and looked for some notes.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, Sana. It’s on me.” Dahyun said as she put her hand on top of the other girl’s to stop her. Electricity shot through her body at the touch.

“Okay, next time is on me.”

“Sure.” Dahyun let go of her hand and helped her fix her coat.

“I’ll text you later. I had a really nice time.”

“Me too.”

“Bye,” Sana said as she gave her a quick hug. Her perfume making Dahyun dizzy.

“Bye.”

Dahyun watched as Sana left the store and walked down the street, protecting her neck and nose from the cold with her big scarf. A warm feeling invaded every cell in her body. Next time is on me. So, there was going to be another time.

\----------------------------

Sana ran through the streets until she reached the dance academy. She quickly changed into comfortable clothes and put her hair in a bun. When she opened the door to her class Momo was already there, guiding the little girls through a stretching routine. Sana greeted them and sat down next to her friend on the floor.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she whispered as she started stretching her legs.

“We’re just getting started,” Momo changed her position and told the girls to do the same. “So… how was your date?” She looked at Sana with a playful smirk.

“Great, actually,” Sana unconsciously smiled at the recent memories. “I’ve invited her to the party, two of her friends are coming too.”

“The more the merrier. No men, right? They interfere with my aura.”

Sana gave her a pointed look. “No men. Two girls.”

“Amazing,” Momo stood up and got the class started.

Both girls got through the new routine with no problem, their hard work had definitely paid off. In their tiredness they found satisfaction as they lied down on the wooden floor.

“You should only do the shopping, by the way. I have the decorating part covered.” Sana said as she got her sticky hair out of her face.

“Oh, yeah? Are you sure? You hate decorating,” Momo replied already knowing the answer to her question. She understood her friend beyond words.

“Yeah… Dahyun is helping me,” Sana said hesitatingly.

“I see…”

“Why do you make everything sound suspicious. She said she wanted to help somehow and well, I told her she could help decorating. Turns out she likes doing it.”

“I see…”

Sana sat up and punched Momo on the arm. “Stop that.”

“I didn’t do anything.” Sana shot her a glare. “I just think that you like her.”

“Well, we barely know each other.”

“But you do like her, right?”

“She’s fun to be around and she just- she just makes me feel comfortable.”

“Okay. I just hope she does a good job, we all know I’m the best at decorating.”

“Yeah, that’s why last year that big ass ‘Santa’ you tried to create with balloons flew out the window.”

“Hey! The neighbours’ kids loved it. They thought it was Santa flying around.”

“Santa after a few drinks.”

“I admit I’m not the best balloon artist but the thought was there.”

“Okay, balloon artist, let’s go. It’s getting late.”

Both girls stood up, got changed and went out into the cold once more. They walked side by side to the bus stop and waited there until Momo got on the bus and waved goodbye. It would never get easier to see her go, even if she saw her every day.

\-----------------------

After doing some errands, Sana stepped into her cold apartment and turned on the heating. She wrapped herself in a blanket and went to the kitchen to grab something to eat. The only thing left was cereal so that would have to do.

She sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. The box of cereal on one hand and the remote on the other as she searched for something interesting. Her phone beeping interrupted her search. A smile adorned her features when she saw who it was.

Dahyun👀 [18:35]  
I forgot to give you your thermos🤦

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [18:37]  
You can keep it

Dahyun👀 [18:37]  
I’ll buy you a new one, I promise

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [18:38]  
You don’t have to, Dahyunnie

Dahyun👀 [18:38]  
I’ll give you something else then

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [18:39]  
I don’t need anything

Dahyun👀 [18:40]  
Give me ten minutes  
Start counting…  
NOW

Sana looked with confusion at the screen.

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [18:40]  
What are you talking about?

No reply. The minutes passed and Sana checked the time.

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [18:50]  
Okay ten minutes are up  
Stop whatever you’re doing  
Dahyunnnnnnnn

Dahyun👀 [18:53]  
Okay, I’m done

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [18:53]  
What were you doing?

Dahyun👀 [18:55]  
This  
[Audio File: Sana’s Thermos Sonata]  
It’s very rough, I’ll keep working on it  
I promise 🙏

Sana couldn’t believe her eyes, this girl had really composed a sonata for her in ten minutes. She played the audio. 

‘This is for Sana. A sonata… for your lost thermos…’ the girl in the audio said with a dramatic voice. ‘It will never be forgotten… and I swear I’m not a thief… Now, enjoy.’

Sana laughed at the blonde’s anthics and then a soft, melancholic melody traveled from her phone speaker to her living room. The melody was captivating and she closed her eyes to enjoy it fully. It made her feel all fuzzy inside, especially since she knew Dahyun had done it for her. It was too short but it was beautiful and incredible nonetheless, especially considering that it had literally been written in ten minutes. Sana wondered what this girl was capable of if she was given enough time. She listened to the file a few more times before texting back.

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [19:00]  
ARE YOU KIDDING ME????  
Dahyun that was beautiful  
Did you really compose that now?

Dahyun👀 [19:03]  
Yes, ma’am

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [19:03]  
Damn…  
Your playing is outstanding

Dahyun👀 [19:04]  
Thank you 😊  
I’m still going to play for you live, though  
It’s a promise

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [19:06]  
Can’t wait

Dahyun👀 [19:07]  
Gotta get ready for work now  
Talk to you later

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [19:08]  
Okay  
Take care  
Don’t overwork yourself  
And don’t drop any plates!!

Dahyun👀 [19:10]  
I’ll do my best

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [19:12]  
Let me know when you get home safe

Dahyun👀 [19:13]  
Will do

Sana locked her phone again, only to unlock it once more after ten seconds. She played the audio file on repeat. Laughing every time at Dahyun’s message.

That night she fell asleep to a sweet piano melody. This girl kept on surprising her, she was something special and Sana couldn’t wait to get to know her more.


	2. New Year's Eve

Dahyun woke up to her phone beeping. She tossed and turned in bed, bringing the blankets closer to her face. Enveloped in warmth, she closed her eyes once more but was interrupted again by the annoying sound. She stretched her arm and took the device which was resting on the bedside table. The screen lit up and blinded her sleepy eyes for a few seconds.

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [08:07]  
Dahyunnie  
I’ve got some ideas for the decorations  
So, i’ve been looking at some pics on pinterest  
And i think there’s a few we can recreate

Dahyun👀 [08:12]  
Sana  
It’s way too early for this…

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [08:14]  
Shit  
Did i wake you up?  
I’m so sorry

Dahyun absolutely hated lying but she didn’t want to make Sana feel bad.

Dahyun👀 [08:14]  
No, i was up  
But my brain doesn’t start working until 10

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [08:15]  
Oh, right  
I’ll send you the link  
Check it out whenever you want 😊

Dahyun👀 [08:16]  
I can’t believe you use pinterest  
It’s like the most suburban mom thing i can think of  
Aren’t you late to take Tommy and Sarah to soccer practice in your suv?

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [08:16]  
No, my husband Ricky is taking care of them  
Today is mimosa day with my neighbourhood friends

Dahyun👀 [08:18]  
Oh, you have a husband

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [08:20]  
Yes, we were highschool sweethearts  
He asked me out through one of his friends cause he was too scared to do it himself  
It was love at first sight 😍

Dahyun👀 [08:22]  
I would like to meet him one day  
Make sure he’s a good guy for you

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [08:23]  
We can invite you to one of our barbecues

Before Dahyun could type a reply, Sana was already calling her. She picked up with a smile.

“Hello?”

“Ugh, I can’t believe I said all that. Me? With a man? Unthinkable.”

Dahyun smiled even more at that, she suspected Sana was into girls but had never gotten a concrete answer and she still didn’t feel comfortable enough to ask her about it.

“Good to know.”

“What?”

Dahyun suddenly realised what she had just said, panic seized her. “Um, I mean good morning. How are you feeling? I can tell you’re excited… which is weird considering you hate decorating.”

“Well, today I’m feeling great for some reason. I woke up really early, did everything I’ve been putting off for the past week, had a really good breakfast. I’m great, Dahyunnie.”

Dahyun felt lazy, she was still in bed, wearing her favourite fluffy pajamas and the blinds were still down so she couldn’t tell whether it was a sunny day or not. She got out of bed and shuffled to the window, peeking out. The sun was weak but it was there nonetheless, it made her smile.

“Wow, i’m glad you’re feeling productive cause it’s kind of a lazy day for me today. I know we agreed we were going to go shopping for decorations today but you may have to drag me out of my apartment,” Dahyun joked.

“Kim Dahyun, I’m not scared of you. If I have to go and drag you out in your pajamas I will do it with no hesitation. You’ve been warned.”

Dahyun laughed at Sana’s serious tone.

“I’m kidding… or am I?”

“You promised! You can’t back down now,” Sana whined. “Don’t leave me alone doing this.”

Dahyun felt her legs go weak at how cute Sana was. “Okay, convince me. You have thirty seconds.”

“Dahyunnie, you know you’re the best right? You’re so talented and amazing and you’re really really funny and whenever you make me laugh I get stomach aches and my cheeks burn from how much I smile and your hair looks really soft and your eyes always shine and-” Sana blurted out without breathing.

“Okay, time’s up,” Dahyun interrupted her. She didn’t exactly know whether thirty seconds had gone by but Sana was saying so many nice things she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle it any longer. “You won. I’ll go with you.”

“Yeyyyyy!!! Thank you, Dahyun. You’re the best of the best,” Saba said excitedly.

“I know, but keep on saying it. Especially when you meet Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, tell them about how good I am and how I gave meaning to your life and-”

“Okay, I’m going now. Bye.”

“No, don’t go! I’m kidding.”

Sana laughed and the sound made Dahyun’s stomach feel funny. She blamed it on not having had breakfast yet.

“I know. But hey, I want you on your best suburban mom behaviour today. I need the pinterest lady in you to come out.”

“She will. I’ll pick you up at 10:30.”

“Oh, I thought we were going to meet at the bus stop.”

“Well, I may have a surprise for you.”

“Oh… okay I’ll wait for you then.”

“Great. See you in a bit.”

“Yeah, bye bye.”

“Bye.”

Dahyun hanged up the phone and went to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. She poured some milk in a bowl and added her favourite cereal as she opened Tzuyu’s conversation on her phone.

Dahyun [08:49]  
Tzu  
I need a favour

Her Majesty Tzuyu [08:53]  
Oh boy… here we go

Dahyun [08:54]  
Don’t be like that!  
It’s something very small

Her Majesty Tzuyu [08:54]  
I’m scared  
What is it?

Dahyun [08:55]  
Your car?????

Her Majesty Tzuyu [08:56]  
No way

Dahyun [08:57]  
Don’t be mean!!!!!!!!  
I really need it  
It’s an emergency

Her Majesty Tzuyu [08:59]  
It’s going to be an emergency when you scratch my car and I send you to the hospital

Dahyun [09:01]  
So you’re lending me it?

Her Majesty Tzuyu [09:03]  
I don’t know  
Can you be trusted?

Dahyun [09:04]  
I’m the most trustworthy person to ever exist

Her Majesty Tzuyu [09:05]  
Do you promise to take care of it?  
To make sure she’s not scratched?  
That her belly is full of petrol?  
That her engine is not forced in this cold harsh day?

Dahyun [09:07]  
Tzuyu it seems like you care more about this car than about Chae

Her Majesty Tzuyu [09:09]  
And what about it?  
Chae has hands and feet, she can take care of herself  
My baby can’t

Dahyun [09:10]  
Okay, I solemnly swear to bring her back home safe and sound before curfew

Her Majesty Tzuyu [09:12]  
Fine  
I’ll drive her to you  
I need some alone time to say goodbye  
At what time do you need her?

Dahyun [09:14]  
God you’re so dramatic  
At 10  
Is that okay?

Her Majesty Tzuyu [09:16]  
We can make it work  
Wait  
What do you need my child for?

Dahyun [09:17]  
We’re buying things with Sana for the party  
The party you’re attending by the way, so this is for you as well

Her Majesty Tzuyu [09:19]  
Interesting  
Don’t make this about me  
And  
No sex in the backseat

Dahyun huffed at her friend’s comment.

Dahyun [09:22]  
You and Chae were really made for each other

Her Majesty Tzuyu [09:23]  
I know 😊

Dahyun put her phone down and got ready to take a shower. She had to hurry up if she wanted to be on time to pick up Sana.

She stepped out of the shower, dried her hair with the towel, brushed it and was about to start blowdrying it when the bell rang. She picked up the phone and heard Tzuyu’s voice on the other side.

“Open up, it’s cold.”

Dahyun opened the door and let her friend in. Tzuyu had barely taken her shoes off that Dahyun was already hugging her.

“Thank you so so much, you’re the best.”

Tzuyu pretended not to want affection but reciprocated the hug nonetheless.

“I know I am.”

Dahyun let her friend go and invited her into the living-room. She offered her a cup of coffee but Tzuyu denied.

“I can’t stay long, I have some things to do.”

“Oh, okay.”

Dahyun sat down next to her friend for a moment, looking at her expectantly but Tzuyu didn’t move.

“You know, to drive a car you need the keys…”

“I do know that. I just need a minute to process what I’m about to do.”

Dahyun hit her arm playfully. “Come on, I told you I’ll take care of it as if it were my own child.”

“Let me see your license.”

“What?” Dahyun was confused now.

“I need to see that everything is in order, that it’s not fake, etcetera.”

“You can’t be serious,” Dahyun was just stunned that her friends was being this dramatic over a car.

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

Dahyun stood up and grabbed her wallet, handing the other girl her driver’s license. Tzuyu inspected it carefully. Then looked at her friend in the eye.

“Walk in a straight line.”

“I’m not doing that.”

“I need to know you’re not drunk.”

“Tzuyu, it’s 10am. I’m not drunk.”

“That’s what every drunk person says.”

Dahyun stared at her friend blankly, but she did not budge. Without another word, Dahyun did as she was told.

“See? I’m not drunk.”

“I’m the one who determines that. Come here.”

Dahyun had already given up on resisting.

“Open your mouth.” The blonde opened her mouth big, and Tzuyu got closer, taking a sniff.

“No alcohol.”

“That’s what I’ve been telling you for the past ten minutes.”

Tzuyu then opened Dahyun’s eyes with her fingers.

“What are you doing? Stop it!” Dahyun tried to get loose.

“I’m seeing if you have your contacts on. We all know you’re blind. Okay, you pass.”

“I can’t believe I did all that.”

“Me neither,” Tzuyu said laughing out loud at her friend’s expression.

Dahyun hit her shoulder and the other girl complained but she still took the keys from her pocket and handed them to Dahyun.

“You bring her home safely.”

“I promise,” Dahyun said with a hand to her heart.

“Okay. I have to go now.”

Tzuyu stood up and put her hand to her forehead in a military salute, Dahyun mirrored her.

“See you later. Thank you for lending me your first born.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Tzuyu put on her shoes and left the apartment without another word.

Dahyun looked at the time, she still had some time to change and do her hair. So she did, and then left her home to get into Tzuyu’s car. Very carefully she put on the seatbelt, checked the mirrors, the distance of the seat to the pedals (which she had to bring closer) and brought the engine to life.

She drove to Sana’s apartment for the first time since the night they met and a thousand thoughts immediately rushed to her head. So many things changed since that day and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Sana was already waiting outside, leaning against the wall looking at something on her phone. Dahyun texted her.

Dahyun 👀 [10:32]  
Look up

Dahyun looked out the car window as Sana lifted her eyes from the screen. A smile spread in her face when she saw Dahyun inside the car. She walked to the vehicle and got on the passenger’s seat.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” Dahyun said. She wanted to do more, to touch Sana’s hand or give her a hug. Something, just to feel the girl closer for a second, but she didn’t.

“So, this was your big surprise.”

“Yep, do you like it?”

“It depends. Did you steal this car? I have no interest in being part of a crime.”

“No, this is Tzuyu’s car which I had to do insane things for so please appreciate the gesture and don’t do anything reckless or which might damage this beautiful piece of metal in any way.”

“Okay, I’m scared now.”

“Oh, you should be. Tzuyu is ruthless.”

“And you are willing to risk everything just to go shopping with me?”

“Of course,” Dahyun smiled at her and turned on the engine again.

She drove them to the city centre and let Sana control the radio. She connected her phone and played music from her playlist. Luckily, they shared a very similar music taste. Dahyun pulled over and they got out of the car into the harsh cold.

“Okay, where do we go?”

“I think we need plastic cups and plates first.”

“Oh, this way then.” Dahyun guided her to a nearby store. She opened the door and let Sana walk in first. Sana loved the gesture.

They walked around the store which sold a great variety of things for parties. Colourful balloons, candles, hats with different inscriptions, headbands and letters filled the place. The two girls walked around, joking with the different items.

“This actually looks good on you,” Sana said.

“You literally can’t see my face,” replied Dahyun with a muffled voice from under the mask.

“That’s why it looks good.”

Dahyun took off the mask and revealed a pout. Sana hugged her and Dahyun couldn’t keep herself from feigning offense. The action barely lasted a few seconds but her whole body resisted the separation. Sana’s hair smelled of flowers and freshness and not even the scent of a thousand roses could compare to how it made her feel.

“You know I’m kidding. You’re beautiful,” Sana said as she used her fingers to comb through Dahyun’s messy hair. She was too focused on her task to notice Dahyun’s cheeks going red.

“I think we need a garland.”

“Yes! A sparkly one,” Sana added. “I think I saw one over there,” Sana started walking to the other side of the store. “And we need those big number balloons.”

“Whatever you want, Pinterest Queen.”

Sana turned around with the biggest smile on her face. “I kinda like it, I’m gonna tell Ricky to call me that from now on.”

“I thought this could be our thing, Ricky can think about something else.”

“You want me to keep secrets from my pretend husband? Wow, Kim Dahyun I would have never thought you were like that.”

“I’m just saying. I would never do anything to get between you and Richard, though.”

Sana bit her lip at the girl’s words and turned around again. She fetched some garlands and golden and silver balloons to decorate the living room walls.

“Okay, now I think we need the plastic plates and some more small things.”

“I haven’t seen any, maybe we should ask someone.”

The two girls made their way to an employee and asked for paper cups and plates, but there were sold out.

“Guess we have to try somewhere else.”

“Yep. I think I know another place.”

They went to checkout and Sana wanted to pay for everything, but Dahyun insisted on paying.

“You paid for my coffee the other day,” Sana argued.

“That was for you, this is going to be used by everyone. It’s not fair.”

They ended up coming to a compromise.

“Okay, half and half, but I still owe you coffee.”

“Deal.”

They paid for the items they bought and headed out into the cold. The freshness of the air hit their faces as they walked.

“It’s not too far. Maybe two blocks from here,” Dahyun said as she tried to warm her hands with her breath.

They walked side by side, laughing and chatting with no hurries. Sana saw the other girl kept on trying to warm her hands, and she wanted nothing more than to hold her hands in hers, to keep her warm, but she contained herself.

They bought the rest of the things they needed from the store Dahyun had suggested and a few fairy lights and small decorations. They got out of the store and went to the car, getting inside, still shivering.

“God, it’s so cold,” said Dahyun.

“Yeah, I’m not much of a winter person. My hands are always cold, I hate it.”

“Mine too, it’s the worst.”

Dahyun looked at Sana without moving, she just waited for the other girl to talk first.

“Should we grab something to eat? It’s already lunchtime.”

“Please, I’m starving.”

“Any place in mind?”

“I’ll let you decide this time.”

“Mmm, I know a place. It’s nothing special on the outside but the food is to die for.”

“Sounds great.”

Dahyun drove to the place Sana suggested and let her in first. The warmth of the small restaurant enveloped them, as well as the smell of different foods which reminded Dahyun of her mom’s homemade dishes.

“I see why you like it here,” she told Sana as they sat down at a table next to the window.

“Oh, yeah? Why’s that?” Sana asked amused.

“It feels like home.”

Sana didn’t answer, that’s exactly the reason why she went to that place so much. The smallness and warmth always reminded her of her home in Japan, of her mom’s cooking, which made the distance seem to shorten.

“Hey, Sana. How are you?” A small, old lady went to their table to take their order, a gentle smile on her face.

“Hi, Auntie. I’m great, how about you? It’s a cold day today, you should’ve stayed home.”

“You know I can’t stay still. I like working, it keeps me young.”

“Oh, come on, you look great.”

“You’re too kind, dear.” She then noticed Dahyun, she eyed the girl with interest. Sana rarely went accompanied to that place. “And who is this beautiful young lady?”

“I’m Dahyun, Sana’s- I’m her friend,” Dahyun said with a small bow.

“Nice to meet you. You must be very special, Sana doesn’t come with just anyone here. I’ve only seen her with Momo every once in a while and maybe one other friend.”

Sana blushed deeply and averted her eyes when Dahyun looked at her. She cleared her throat and the woman seemed to take notice of her nervousness, so she proceeded to take their orders.

“She seems nice,” said Dahyun once she left.

“She’s amazing. She’s like family, I met her the first week I got here. Momo had to take care of some documents and stuff with uni so I was waiting for her and decided to come here. Auntie immediately made me feel like home.”

“That’s really nice. That you have someone you can count on, apart from your friends I mean.”

“Yeah, I come here when I need to think.”

“That sounds good, I’m not proud to say I’m quite the opposite. I try to avoid thinking, it just fills me up with anxiety.”

“Yeah, me too, but with time I found out that it’s worst to avoid things. Trust me, I have experience with avoiding stuff.”

Dahyun laughed. Every time Sana opened up to her about her family or personal topics it made her feel nice inside, the fact that the pink-haired girl trusted her and felt comfortable to talk about whatever she wanted made her heart pick up speed.

“I’ve been working on it, though,” added Dahyun.

The woman returned with their plates and placed them in front of them. They let the different ingredients of the soup travel their bodies and warm them up. Laughs and words flowed easily all around the restaurant and, as they were the only ones there, they didn’t try to restrain themselves.

The old lady came back with a big piece of apple pie, Sana’s favourite.

“Uh, we didn’t order any dessert,” uttered Sana.

“I know, it’s on the house.”

“What is it with people not letting me pay anything lately?”

“It’s a small gift, dear. Holiday spirit or whatever you want to call it. Accept it, you don’t want to see me angry.”

Sana smiled at her and took her hand, squeezing a bit. “Thank you.”

The woman gave them two forks and left them alone.

“She really likes you.”

“What’s not to like about me?”

“Well… you’re right,” Dahyun admitted.

They ate the pie in silence, savouring it. The soft texture melted in their mouths. Dahyun almost choked at something Sana said and had to spit out the piece she had put in her mouth. Sana helped her by patting her back and handing her a napkin, trying to get her words out as she laughed at Dahyun’s facial expressions.

“Oh my God, are you okay?”

“Yes,” Dahyun finally let out breathless.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, I hadn’t laughed like that in a while.”

They both let silence take over the space between them for a few minutes. Then Sana looked out the window, the sky was already dark and the moon visible.

“It’s already dark outside,” she said, almost more to herself than to Dahyun.

Dahyun looked out the window. It being winter, nights came sooner than normal. A melancholic feeling invaded her without warning, and she didn’t know exactly what she was feeling.

“We should get going. What time is it?”

Dahyun looked at her phone, “5pm. Shit, time flew.”

“Yeah, I don’t know how.”

“Come on, let’s head back.” Dahyun stood up and put on her coat, Sana did the same. They paid and were about to leave when Sana said she needed to go to the toilet. Dahyun stood near the counter, fiddling with her coat.

“She’s a good girl,” a voice next to hear made her turn her head. The old woman was standing behind the counter, her eyes fixed on Dahyun.

“Excuse me?”

“Sana. She’s a good girl, be good to her.”

Dahyun’s confusion multiplied. She didn’t know what the woman meant with that comment, but deep inside her she was certain she would never do anything to intentionally hurt Sana. She was lost for words, debating whether she should tell the woman that actually she was getting to know Sana or to just agree with her.

“Yeah, she’s great,” Dahyun said as she looked at where Sana had disappeared behind a door.

The woman put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it a bit. The gesture was small but it felt comforting, a kind of blessing.

“Okay, I’m ready,” Sana said as she walked towards her companion. She hugged the woman and left the establishment.

They got into the car and Dahyun drove back to where they had come from. The atmosphere was serene, no one talked and they just listened to the soft melody coming from the radio. Dahyun drove slowly, she didn’t want to drop Sana off yet. She wanted to spend more time with her, to talk, to laugh, to let go of her worries and just enjoy a nice time. She stole a glance at her from the side of her eye, Sana was leaning against the car window, looking at the sky.

“What are you thinking about?” Dahyun asked, her voice low and raspy from not being used for a while.

Sana took a moment before answering. “My parents.”

“You miss them?”

“Yeah, I’ve been missing them a lot lately.” After a while, Sana continued. “You know when you’re a kid and you think that the moon is following you when you’re in the car?”

“Yeah,” Dahyun said softly.

“My dad used to say that it’s just an optical illusion, but a part of me still believes it’s following me. Keeping an eye out for me in a way. Whenever I’m missing home a lot I just look at the moon, it feels as if it’s one of the few things which are a constant wherever you are.”

Dahyun didn’t say anything but took a sharp turn.

“What are you doing? I thought you had to return the car to Tzuyu.”

“Well, we still have some time. I want to take you somewhere first.”

“Where?”

“Just trust me.”

Dahyun drove some more, then pulled over someplace Sana wasn’t familiar with. She got out of the car and opened Sana’s door to help her out.

“This way. We have to go up those stairs.”

Dahyun led the way, it was very dark except for the moon and a few streetlights. She turned on the flashlight on her phone to illuminate the way, she then heard a yelp.

“Sana? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just stumbled.”

“Take my hand,” Dahyun offered her hand and Sana took it. Lightning bolts traveled through every nerve in her body.

“Your hands are really cold,” Dahyun said as she brought them closer to her mouth and breathed into them like she had done to her own before. She then put both hers and Sana’s hand into her pocket, Sana thought it was a small but romantic gesture. “We are almost there.”

“Wow,” Sana mumbled after they climbed to the very top of the hill.

“I know, the view is amazing.”

They were at the very top of the city, a sea of lights was all they could see. The streets looked like thin trails in the vast space. A few other people were admiring the scene as well, wearing big jackets and blankets around their frames.

“Let’s sit for a bit.”

Dahyun sat down on the grass and helped Sana sit beside her. They looked at the picture-perfect scenery in silence, Sana’s hand still in Dahyun’s pocket. The blonde’s thumb now started to caress the back of Sana’s hand unconsciously. Sana looked at her, but Dahyun didn’t notice.

After a while, Sana laid down on the grass, using her free arm as a pillow. Dahyun followed suit. The sky looked clearer than usual, a myriad of stars surrounding the full moon.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it? And terrifying,” Dahyun stated, her voice barely over a whisper. The other people had mostly disappeared by now.

“Yeah, the vastness of space is… overwhelming to say the least.”

Dahyun turned her head and admired Sana’s profile. Her sharp nose, her delicate lips, then up to her glinting eyes. They gave the stars a run for their money.

“I’m glad I met you,” she confessed.

Sana looked at her, a soft smile on her lips.

“Me too,” she squeezed Dahyun’s hand a little bit. “I can tell you’re good, you just radiate it. You’re like, I don’t know, human sunshine.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“Why can’t you take a compliment?”

Dahyun laughed, “I’m sorry, I get embarrassed easily.”

“Well, you better get used to it. I like to compliment those around me often.”

“Oh, God.”

Sana let out a small chuckle and then shivered. The temperature kept on dropping and the height was not helping.

“Do you want to go? it’s getting really cold,” Dahyun suggested.

“No, let’s stay here for a bit more.”

“Okay.”

Sana positioned herself to look up at the sky again. A shivered traveled down her body once more. Dahyun didn’t say anything and just patted herself for Sana to get closer.

“Come here,” Dahyun opened her coat to make room for Sana. “I don’t want you to get sick before your big party.”

Sana’s mind was thinking a thousand thoughts a minute. She couldn’t understand how she got so lucky to meet such an amazing girl. She accepted the offer and moved so that she was resting on Dahyun’s side. The other girl covered her with her coat and put her hands over her waist to keep it as closed as possible. Sana’s body immediately warmed up, Dahyun’s perfume invaded her senses and she closed her eyes, basking in the feeling.

Dahyun couldn’t believe she had actually had the guts to suggest that to Sana, but seeing the girl freezing was too hard so she was left with no choice. Sana’s body seemed to fit hers perfectly, and Dahyun couldn’t help wondering what it would feel to wake up next to her every morning. She snuggled her closer and wondered whether Sana could hear her heart beating uncontrollably. She hoped not.

They stayed still in that position for what seemed like forever, but forever was too short when they were with one another. As they started to descend the stairs, Sana looked up at the sky for the last time and inwardly thanked them for bringing such a wonderful person into her life.

\---------------------------

After dropping Sana off and driving to Tzuyu’s apartment to return the car, Dahyun took the bus and went back home.

She took a hot shower and got the ingredients ready to cook some dinner. She turned on some music and was about to wash her hands when her phone beeped.

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [20:17]  
Thank you for an amazing day❤️

Dahyun👀 [20:19]  
My pleasure  
Thank you for trusting my driving  
And don’t hesitate to tell me whenever you want to do it again

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [20:23]  
Will do  
Sleep well, Dahyunnie  
See you tomorrow

Dahyun👀 [20:24]  
You too  
Sleep tight 💫

Minatozaki Sana🐶💜 [20:26]  
✨🌟✨

\---------------------------

Sana finished making her bed and headed to the living-room. The morning had flown by and it was already 2:30pm of the last day of the year. She sat down on the comfy couch and put a blanket over her body, she placed her phone on the coffee table and her eyes gravitated towards the many pictures on her wall. She closed her eyes and tried to transport herself back home, she could almost feel the breeze on her skin and the rustling of the leaves whispering in her ear. She could smell her mom’s cooking filtrating into her bedroom and her father calling her name so she would help with the preparations.

It was not that she didn’t like Korea, she loved it, but something about the holidays made her feel melancholic and homesick. She hadn’t seen her family in almost ten months and, even if they talked almost every day, it was not the same. She missed her father’s hugs and her mom caressing her hair... everything seemed so far away now.

Luckily, she had met incredible people in this new country she now called home and they all made everything better.

The bell rang, waking her from her reverie. She sighed and stood up, going to grab her keys. She took a peek outside and when she saw a blonde mane the feelings that made her heart fill with worry dispersed.

Dahyun was carrying what looked like a heavy box, so Sana hurried to open the door for her.

“Hey,” Dahyun greeted her with a bright smile, her face barely visible over the cardboard box.

“Hi, what is this?” Sana took the box from her arms and carried it inside.

“Oh, just some more things I found in my parent’s house. I thought we could use them as well.”

Sana eyed her suspiciously, “You didn’t buy any of these, right? I don’t want you spending any more money on me.”

“I swear I didn’t, they are all well used and old,” Dahyun said with a hand to her heart.

“Okay.”

The two girls went into the living-room and plopped down on the couch, looking at each other and letting out a laugh at the silence.

“So, how are you?”

“I’m good, better now that you’re here.”

“Oh, shut up, we all know I’m your second option cause Momo is busy,” Dahyun feigned offense to divert Sana’s attention from her pinkish cheeks.

“Don’t tell her this, but she sucks at decorating.”

“And how do you know I don’t?”

“I don’t, but I’m willing to take the risk.”

“I like this confidence in my skills.”

Sana covered her feet with the blanket and looked at Dahyun, then urged her to do the same.

“Have you eaten?”

“Yeah, are you hungry? I have some leftovers.”

“No, I’m okay. When I went home earlier my mom stuffed me with food.”

“Yeah, they love doing that.”

Dahyun noticed Sana’s expression fall. She touched her feet with hers under the fuzzy blanket to make her laugh, and Sana lifted her gaze. A feet war broke out, which escalated into Sana attacking Dahyun with tickles all over her tummy. Dahyun tried to set herself free at the same time as she tried to breathe over the giggles. Sana was relentless and before she could notice she was on top of Dahyun. They were both breathless, Dahyun’s disheveled hair sprawled over Sana’s couch as she tried to regain her breath. Sana looked down at her, her own hair cascading on each side of her face. Dahyun looked unbelievably beautiful, her lips parted to let more air through, her eyes with a special shine to them, her hair forming a halo around her face. She then realised their position and got off her, offering her hand to help the other girl sit up.

Sana cleared her throat, “I think we should get started if we want everything to be ready for the party.”

“Yeah…”

They stood up and straightened their clothes. Sana disappeared for a moment to grab the bags with the things they had bought the day before and returned with her hands full. Dahyun grabbed the box she had brought and carried it to the middle of the living-room.

“I think we should move the coffee table to the side, we don’t want anyone to trip over it.”

“Yeah, we can put it there on the corner,” Sana indicated with a finger.

They both moved the table and rearranged the couch so that there was more free space. Sana opened Dahyun’s box and took out a small disco ball, she shot the other girl a questioning look.

“I’m not responsible in any way of what can be found in there,” she defended herself.

Sana laughed and looked for a place where she could hang it, she decided the light fixture in the middle of her apartment was a good place so she stretched herself to hang it. She then looked at Dahyun with the biggest smile on her face.

“It looks good.”

“Okay, I think we’re done.”

“Come on, we need this place to look great.”

“Are you saying my apartment is not great as it is?” Sana asked with her arms on her hips.

“Of course not, we just need it to look more… festive and glittery.”

Sana crouched and took a garland from one of the bags, she then threw it to Dahyun. “Okay, ‘festive’, hang that on that wall.”

Dahyun caught it before it hit her face and proceeded to do as told, though she had some trouble with the height Sana wanted it to be at so she had to ask for her help.

“I think I remember you saying something about having a great playlist to decorate or something like that…”

“How could I forget?” Dahyun took her phone out of her pocket and connected it to the speakers. The first chords of an upbeat song started playing and she looked at Sana for some feedback on the choice of song. Sana only bobbed her head in approval to the rhythm.

They then put helium on the big number balloons and placed them on the corner of the living-room. The place still lacked something so Sana rummaged through the other bags and took out the fairy lights. With Dahyun’s help she put them around the kitchen counter and another one over the living-room window. A few more garlands and a foil curtain were hanged around the place. It was a bit over the top but it was still nice and they were both proud of how things were turning out.

Dahyun sat down on the floor, and Sana went to the kitchen to grab them both something to drink and a snack. She walked back and handed them to the other girl, then sat next to her. Dahyun was playing with some of the spare balloons and then brought one to her mouth to inhale some of the helium.

“Thank you,” she said to Sana with a funny high-pitched voice.

Sana laughed and put a chip in her mouth.

Dahyun repeated her action. “I love this song.” She stood up, using the water bottle as a microphone and screaming out the lyrics, her voice still with the effects of the gas. She handed Sana the balloon and urged her to do the same, Sana had no choice but to give in at the small pout that formed on Dahyun’s face.

She inhaled some helium and tried talking, “Hello, hi hi, my name is Sana.”

Dahyun kept on dancing around and laughing, “Hi, Sana, I’m Dahyun. Nice to meet you.”

Sana refilled her lungs and replied, “Nice to meet you too. Do you come here often?” she asked as she got closer to Dahyun, trying to make her voice sound like that of men when they try to hit on you at the club.

“Not really, this is my second time here,” she replied with the helium voice.

“Oh, I see. Well, I hope you have a nice time. I heard some crazy parties are thrown in this apartment.”

“I’ve heard. I hope the host lives up to her expectations.”

“They say she’s one of the best. Not only incredibly pretty, kind and intelligent but she also has an amazing sense of humour and her parties are unforgettable,” Sana said about herself, grinning smugly.

“That’s for me to determine. I’ll be the secret judge tonight, but don’t tell her anything.”

“Okay, I won’t.” Sana took another big gulp. “Wanna dance?”

Dahyun took her hand and they both jumped around in their socks, letting their hair swing from side to side and their feet move them however they wanted. Sana was undoubtedly a better dancer but Dahyun had a way to make everything funny. Her stage presence, one could say, was pretty good.

All of a sudden, the music changed and a soft melodic tone started playing. They both looked at each other, chests rising up and down from the exercise. Dahyun offered her hand and Sana took it softly. Dahyun pulled at it and brought the other girl closer to her body, letting her right arm envelope her waist and the other kept its hold on Sana’s hand. She had no idea what she was doing but it felt right. Sana was nervous, every part of her body where Dahyun’s was touching hers tingled. She tried to calm down, not to let the other girl notice that her hands were sweating and her heart picking up pace.

Dahyun swayed them from side to side, not even bothering to follow the rhythm, but it didn’t matter. She closed her eyes and breathed in Sana’s scent, it was always flowers. She got a bit closer, she could feel Sana’s breath hitting her skin and the warmth of her touch. Sana looked up and into her eyes, she was so beautiful. Every inch of her, from her pink hair to her socks with a monkey design, was absolutely perfect. Sana parted her lips as if she wanted to say something but didn’t. Dahyun just then realised how close their faces were, how easy it would be to just clash their lips together, to let herself go. But she was never one to be brave when it came to girls.

Sana was far too weak to resist Dahyun’s gravity. It was as if an invisible force were pulling her towards her, as if they were two magnets and nothing could get between them now. Sana plucked up all the courage she could find inside her, looked into Dahyun’s eyes one last time, closed her eyes and parted her lips. Dahyun unconsciously did the same and waited for their lips to crash together. She could feel Sana’s face getting closer, their breaths mixing together in the space between them. Sana’s hand traveled to her cheek, caressing it softly and Dahyun gave into the touch. She was at Sana’s mercy.

Sana inched closer painfully slow, she was scared and nervous and excited. She had been wanting to taste Dahyun’s lips for a while now and the moment had finally come. She felt Dahyun’s grasp on her waist get tighter and with that gesture she understood that the other girl felt the same way. Her lips barely got to graze Dahyun’s like butterfly touches, but before she could kiss her properly the metallic ring of the doorbell burst the bubble they had created for themselves.

In a second they had already untangled themselves from their embrace. They both cleared their throats, trying to understand what was happening and what could have happened. Everything was confusing and in a haze.

“I- I think you should see who’s at the door.”

“Yeah, I- I’ll do that,” Sana walked to the front door and saw Momo carrying beer packs and a few other bags.

She looked back at Dahyun over her shoulder, the blonde looked deep in thought as she brought her fingers to her lips. Sana opened the door.

“Finally. This is heavy, you know?” Momo burst through the door and placed everything she was carrying on the floor before taking off her shoes.

“Momo, what are you doing here?” Sana asked with a strained voice, a bit paler than usual. She loved her friend to death but at this very moment she wanted to kill her a little bit.

“I brought all the alcohol now cause Nayeon suggested we pick up Jeongyeon and Mina later. Nayeon’s small car wouldn’t fit four people plus this,” Momo spread her arms to gesture to the big bulge of things she had brought.

“Oh, okay. Um, yeah.”

“Are you okay? You look a bit weird.” Momo brought her hand to Sana’s forehead to check her temperature, then compared it with her own. “Your temperature is okay.”

Momo walked into the living-room and stopped dead on her tracks when she saw Dahyun standing there. She looked at Sana apologetically and mouthed an “I’m sorry.”

“So, Momo this is Dahyun. Dahyun, Momo.”

Dahyun bowed and Momo did the same. “So… I’ve heard quite a lot about you,” Momo said as she stepped closer to the other girl.

“I can say the same about you,” Dahyun was feeling a little intimidated but she wasn’t going to let it show.

“You know, Sana is family to me. She’s a pain in the ass sometimes… most of the time, actually, but she’s family and nothing means more to me than family.”

Dahyun was sweating now, Momo’s eyes were fixed on her and she had to will herself to not break eye contact. The brunette took a step closer.

“So, I want to say thank you. For helping Sana that day when I wasn’t there,” Momo extended her right hand and waited for Dahyun to take it.

Surprise flashed in Dahyun’s face but she politely took Momo’s hand and shook it. Momo smiled and looked around the living-room. “I have to admit the place looks good.”

“Just admit we did a better job at decorating than you,” Sana said as she surrounded Momo’s frame from behind and placed her chin on the other girl’s shoulder.

“I admit it, you both killed it.”

Sana let her friend go and picked up the empty glasses and bowls from earlier to take them back to the kitchen. Momo plopped down on the couch and sighed, moving her feet to the rhythm of the music. Dahyun didn’t know whether to start a conversation or to just let things flow naturally, but Momo beat her to it.

“Dahyun, Sana told me you’re a musician.”

Dahyun sat down on the couch, her back straight and her hands over her thighs in a polite position. She didn’t understand why she was feeling so anxious, Momo didn’t look like a threat in any way but the fact that she was one of the most important people for Sana made her feel pressured.

“Yeah, I play the piano and compose a bit.”

“Uh, yeah that’s a lie. She doesn’t compose ‘a bit’, she literally wrote me a sonata in ten minutes,” Sana butted in from her place in the kitchen.

“Come on, it was a thirty second audio. That barely counts as a sonata.”

“Still, it was beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Dahyun tried with all her might to control her redness.

“I would love to hear something of yours one day. Maybe you can play for Nayeon, she’s a really good singer.”

“I didn’t know your girlfriend sang.”

“Yeah, she’s the best.”

“Whipped much.”

“Look who’s talking,” Momo shoot her friend a deadly look.

Luckily, the tension was cut by Momo’s phone beeping. She took it out of her pocket and groaned. “Ugh, Nayeon wants me to help her pick un outfit… again. We literally just decided on one.”

“Don’t pretend that you don’t enjoy seeing her undress a thousand times.”

Momo looked dreamily out the window, as if remembering her girlfriend. “Yeah, I can’t deny that. She’s beautiful.”

She stood up and grabbed her coat from the rack. She then hugged Sana tightly and did the same with Dahyun, which took the shorter girl by surprise. She then whispered something in Sana’s ear and opened the door. “See you later.” Momo then left the apartment as she hummed the song that was playing on the speakers.

“See you, don’t be late,” Sana said. “And don’t get too distracted with Nayeon,” she shouted as the door closed.

“She seems cool.”

“I saw your face when she was talking to you. Please tell me you’re not scared of Momo, she’s literally the softest person I know,” Sana said amused.

“Scared? Nah, she was a bit intimidating at first, that’s all.”

“She collects Barbie dolls and watches Monsters Inc. religiously every week. She’s the least intimidating person I can think of.”

“Well, you see, Tzuyu also looks like a Disney princess but if there’s anyone that could get away with murder it would probably be her.”

“Your friends sound like fun, I can’t wait to meet them.”

“Yeah, me too.”

Dahyun looked at her watch. “Damn, it’s kinda late already. We should start getting ready.”

“Have you brought everything or do you need to go back home?”

“Nope, I’ve got everything here.”

“Great, so you can take a shower now and I’ll prepare the snacks and beverages.”

“Sounds good.” Dahyun grabbed her backpack and excused herself into the bathroom.

Sana went to the kitchen and took some bowls out of the cupboard. She placed the different snacks on them and put them on the table, she then grabbed the paper cups and placed them in a pile on the counter. As she went through what Momo had brought, she realised there was way too much alcohol. She could imagine the end result of the night. If there’s one thing her friends lacked was self-control… including herself.

Once Dahyun vacated the bathroom, Sana went to take a shower. The both of them then sat in front of Sana’s mirror and did their makeups. Sana helped Dahyun with her eyeshadow and then admired the end result through the mirror with a soft smile.

“You look really pretty.”

“Thank you, you look really beautiful too.”

“Thank you.” Sana stood up and went to her closet to get the dress she was going to wear for the party. “I’m gonna change in the bathroom, you can change here if you want.”

“Okay.” Dahyun waited for Sana to leave the room and took her own from its dress cover. It was a simple velvety dress but when she had tried it on she instantly fell in love with it. She changed and looked at herself in the mirror, fixed a few strands of her hair and put on her favourite perfume. She opened the door and peeked outside, Sana was nowhere to be seen. She stepped into the living-room and sat on the couch.

The sound of a door closing made her turn her head and she saw Sana in all her glory. A black dress with white and silver details hugged her body, her beauty could rival any movie star.

“Wow…” Dahyun let out. “You look incredible.”

Sana took the sides of her dress and spinned around princess style. “Thank you. Let me see you.”

Dahyun shily stood up and awkwardly let Sana’s eyes travel her body.

“Gorgeous. As always.”

Dahyun chuckled, “You always make me blush, it’s embarrassing.”

“I just think we have to say what we think more, especially if it’s something nice.”

Sana moved to the kitchen and grabbed two cups, opened a bottle of champagne and poured the liquid into them. She then gave one to Dahyun.

“To us, for all the hard work we did today.”

“To us.” They toasted and downed the alcohol.

“I guess we wait now. Everyone should be on their way by now.” They sat down on the couch but then Sana stood up like a spring. She disappeared down the corridor and after a moment came back carrying a polaroid camera. “I almost forgot.”

She sat down next to Dahyun again and faced the camera to the both of them. “Take a picture with me, I want to remember this day.” Dahyun smiled and turned her head to Sana just as she snapped the picture.

They waited for the colours to appear and they then appreciated the photograph together. Dahyun wasn’t looking at the camera, but at Sana, her eyes like half moons and her teeth shining bright with the biggest smile possible. Sana was posing perfectly and laughing as well. “I love it,” Sana admitted and proceeded to take some tape and put it on her wall next to the other polaroids.

Dahyun was moved. The fact that Sana considered her special enough to take a picture and put it in her wall next to all the other people she loved so much made butterflies travel all around her body.

The bell rang and Sana ran to the door, she looked through the peephole and Saw Momo, Nayeon, Jeongyeon and who she assumed to be Mina standing outside with big coats on. She opened and was immediately enveloped by her best friend.

“Hi, Satang,” Momo said as she let her go.

“Momoring, you literally saw me less than three hours ago.”

“Can’t I miss my best friend?”

The rest of the girls entered the apartment and greeted Sana in a friendly way.

“I heard about your little… accident. How are you?” Sana asked Jeongyeon.

The girl addressed snapped her neck towards Nayeon so fast she almost broke it in half. “You did not tell everyone about it.”

“I may have mentioned something…”

Jeongyeon went to fight Nayeon but the latter was quicker and ran away. Mina just looked at them amused.

“They are always like this,” said Momo in Japanese.

“Oh, you’re Japanese as well?” Sana asked the other girl.

“Yes, I came here five years ago.”

“Oh, we could have been friends for a while now had we met before,” Sana lamented.

Mina smiled shily at the both of them, she liked these people, and being surrounded by others from her own country made her feel closer to home. It was a nice feeling.

Nayeon used Dahyun as a human shield to protect herself from the rage of her best friend. “Hi, I’m Nayeon by the way. I’m sorry we’re meeting under this circumstances but you must understand the position I’m in.” Dahyun laughed as she was moved around by the other girl.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dahyun.”

“Jeongyeon,” the other girl said, her eyes still fixed on Nayeon.

Dahyun offered her hand for the other girl to take it, actually she just wanted to distract her from her prey. Jeongyeon took it and shook it.

“I’ve never seen you before.”

“It’s my first time coming to one of Sana’s parties. It’s not long since we’ve met each other.”

“I see,” Jeongyeon was about to say something else but she then noticed Nayeon making gestures from behind Dahyun. All she could understand was something about Sana and Dahyun and then she used her fingers to replicate kissing. Jeongyeon understood the reference and patted Dahyun’s shoulder. “Attagirl.”

Dahyun’s confusion multiplied. “Uh?”

“Sana’s a catch, not as much as Mina, but she’s alright.”

“Me and Sana? No- um, we’re not together.”

“Ohh, sorry then, my bad.”

Jeongyeon didn’t know where to hide herself from embarrassment, she then noticed Nayeon eyeing the snacks on the table and remembered the fight they had going on.

The bell saved Dahyun from any more blushing. She looked at Sana, who signalled for her to get it for her as she was busy opening some bottles of alcohol.

She opened the front door and was utterly surprised at who it was, “Jihyo?”

“Dahyun? What are you doing here?”

“Um, I’m friends with Sana. You?” Dahyun moved from the door so the other girl could walk in.

“I’m friends with all of them. Wow, I can’t believe to see you here without the usual uniform.” Jihyo laughed as she walked into the living-room, comfortable as if it were her own house.

She placed the karaoke machine next to the TV and then went to say hello to the rest of the girls who were already surrounding the kitchen counter. When they noticed her, all her friends hugged her tightly.

“Jihyo! It’s been so long,” Momo said.

“Yeah,” Jihyo patted all their heads and let them hug her for a little longer. “I’m sorry I kind of disappeared.”

“It’s okay, what matters is that you’re here now,” Sana added.

“You never said you were friends with Dahyun.”

“You know each other? How?” Sana was astonished.

“Yeah, we both work at the same restaurant. I used to work somewhere else but about three months ago I started working at The Reverie. Dahyun’s been great, she helped me a lot.”

“She did?” Sana looked at Dahyun from across the kitchen, a proud smile grazing her lips.

“Yeah, she actually saved my ass a few times. Balancing plates is not easy.”

Dahyun’s phone beeped.

Chae [20:18]  
We’re outside  
I’m not sure which apartment it is exactly

Dahyun [20:19]  
I’m going

Dahyun told Sana her friends were outside and then proceeded to take the keys and open the door. She saw Chaeyoung and Tzuyu looking around them in search of a sign for which door it was they were supposed to be at.

“Over here, losers.”

The two girls ran towards her hand in hand and hugged her tightly. They then stood up straight and did their usual military salute, it had become their thing since the first year they met.

Dahyun let them into Sana’s apartment, the music was louder now and some of the guests were already sipping from the plastic cups. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu hanged their coats on Sana’s rack and walked slowly towards the crowd, still holding hands.

“Hi,” they bowed. The other girls all greeted them cheerfully.

“We’re all here now,” Sana announced.

“Let’s get this party started then!” Momo screamed, lifting her cup in the air.

The rest of the girls screamed in agreement and the three friends were immediately given cups with suspicious liquid inside.

Sana walked next to Dahyun and whispered, “I’m sorry, they don’t know how to behave sometimes.”

“I like them actually, and you’re saying that cause you haven’t seen drunk Chaeyoung yet.”

“Can’t wait,” Sana clinked her cup with Dahyun’s.

Sana went to Mina and Momo who were talking in a corner and joined their conversation. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu blocked Dahyun’s view of the pink-haired girl.

“She’s really pretty and nice. What does she see in you?”

Dahyun glared at her friend. “I could ask the same thing to Tzuyu.”

Tzuyu laughed at the reply and took a sip of her drink before answering, “She’s right.”

“Besides, it’s not like we’re a couple or anything. We just… you know, hang out sometimes.”

“Oh, come on, you’ve been ‘hanging out’ every day for the past weeks.”

“Don’t forget that I had to lend her my baby,” Tzuyu commented.

“And you asked for her baby.”

“I still have to check it’s okay. I didn’t have much time today, so if I were you I would enjoy what could possibly be my last night alive.”

“You’re so dramatic, Tzuyu.”

“Thank you,” Tzuyu bowed.

“It wasn’t a compliment.”

“Hey, enough with attacking my girlfriend. Let’s talk about what’s going to happen later.”

“What do you mean?”

“Um, your first New Year’s Kiss…”

Dahyun had actually been pushing that thought out of her mind. She had been thinking about it happening, it’s not that she was unaware of the different kind of tension between her and Sana, especially during the last few days. It was just that she wasn’t sure Sana wanted her, but after the events of the afternoon her suspicions were confirmed. Sana wanted to kiss her just as much as she did and a thousands sparkles erupted in her body at the realisation.

“Oh, your cup is empty, let me get you a refill,” Dahyun took Chae’s cup and sprinted to the kitchen. She poured whatever she got her hands on first into the cup and then did the same with hers. She downed it and poured another one. The nerves were getting to her.

Nayeon was clinging to Jeongyeon and Jihyo, jumping in between the two to the song that was bursting through the speakers. The three Japanese girls were chatting and swaying to the rhythm as they laughed about something, if Dahyun hadn’t known the real situation she would’ve thought they had known each other all their lives.

“Okay, shots for everyone now!” Nayeon shouted as she took nine shot glasses and filled them to the brim with tequila. She prepared lemon slices and salt for all of them and screamed once more, “Come on, it’s the last day of the year, we should be celebrating!”

Everyone took a glass and prepared for hell. Dahyun’s alcohol tolerance wasn’t good so she was a bit scared about what could be the outcome. Momo noticed this. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to,” she whispered.

“No, I’m okay. I had a lot to eat today.”

“Okay.”

“One…” Nayeon got ready.

“Two…” Jeongyeon closed her eyes in anticipation.

“Three!” the three friends said in unison. The nine girls licked the salt off their hands, took the shot and quickly licked on the lemon slice.

“Ugh, I hate tequila,” Sana said with her eyes closed, a burning sensation crawling down her throat. She quickly filled a cup with beer and took a sip to replace the taste.

“Who wants another one?” Nayeon asked.

Momo, Mina, Jihyo and Chaeyoung raised their hands. The five girls took another one, their faces contorted at the taste.

As Dahyun was watching her friend do the shot, she felt arms surround her shoulders from behind. She turned her face to see who it was and she was met with bright eyes.

“Are you enjoying the party?” Sana asked her, her voice a little more high-pitched than usual.

“Yes, I am. Thanks for inviting me and my friends.”

Sana opened her mouth as she remembered something and turned to Tzuyu, “Tzuyu, thank you for lending Dahyunnie your car for our shopping. She took really good care of it, I give you my word of honor.”

“I’m sure Dahyunnie did,” Tzuyu pronounced the name with a special intonation, making fun of the nickname.

Sana looked back at Dahyun, “Dance with me,” she took Dahyun’s arm and surrounded her own neck with it.

Sana’s bold movements told Dahyun that she was a tad drunk. Her mesmerizing eyes were fixed on hers and she put her hands on Dahyun’s waist, guiding her movements. The song was way too upbeat for the way they were dancing but the girl didn’t seem to care.

“Let yourself go,” she whispered close to Dahyun’s ear.

Dahyun looked around them, somewhat embarrassed of being seen by her friends, but they were in their own little world bending over laughing at something Jeongyeon had said.

“Look at me,” Sana demanded. “Stop worrying, your friends are having fun. I… I want you to look at me.” Sana’s voice was small, as if she wasn’t sure whether she should admit something like that.

Dahyun did what Sana asked of her and the sight was almost too much to handle. Sana’s eyes were glowing brighter than ever, a bit hooded due to the effect the alcohol had on her body, but with the same beauty as always.

“Have I ever told you that you have really really pretty eyes?” Dahyun said, playing with her fingers behind Sana’s neck.

“No, you haven’t actually,” Sana answered amused.

“Well, you do.”

“Thank you. I’m glad you like them, it took my mom nine months to create them.”

Dahyun couldn’t contain the laugh that erupted from within her belly, she rested her forehead on Sana’s shoulder, which made the other girl stumble backwards a little bit.

“Wow, wow. Are you okay?” Dahyun asked grounding the girl again.

“I’m good.”

At that moment Momo approached her friend with a vodka bottle on her hand, lifting it up for Sana to open her mouth so that she could pour some on it. Sana did, using Dahyun for support. Once Momo left to look for her next victim, Sana noticed Jihyo connecting the karaoke machine to the TV.

“Jihyo is setting the karaoke thing, let’s go.”

Sana took Dahyun’s hand and dragged her to the middle of the living-room. All the girls looked at the screen, screaming song suggestions. Nayeon and Jihyo were the first to sing a rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody”, trying to do all the backing vocals at the same time which ended up in a mess of screams and nonsense. They also tried to outsing each other every chance they got, doing runs as if they life depended on it. Mina and Jeongyeon sang a ballad with the additional touch of a modern interpretative dance around the guests. Tzuyu and Chaeyoung opted for Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” which Nayeon couldn’t help but sing as well, her voice louder than those coming out of the microphones. The oldest girl joined them in the middle of the room, one arm around each of them as she read the lyrics on the screen.

Sana and Momo opted to do the choreography to “Dancing Queen” as Jihyo took charge of singing. They stumbled every now and then but there was no denying that they were incredible dancers, even with a few drinks on them. Dahyun admired all of them, her cheeks hurting from laughing so much.

Chaeyoung approached her with a mischievous look and dragged her to the spotlight. She took the remote and looked for the song she wanted. As the first chords played Dahyun immediately recognised it, she needed a drink for this. She took a swig of the bottle of vodka and got into character as Joanne, with Chaeyoung being the wild Maureen. They used all the space available to do their performance of “Take Me or Leave Me”, the whole dance and facial expressions included. Once they finished and everyone gave them a round of applause and cheers, Tzuyu interrupted, “Okay, okay. Don’t forget Chae has a girlfriend.” She took the shorter girl by the hand and planted a chaste kiss on her lips.

“Want to hear about the first time Dahyun and I kissed?” Chaeyoung asked her girlfriend with a smirk.

“You what? How come you never told me?” Tzuyu was astounded.

“Yeah, there’s no need to get into that,” Dahyun tried to discourage her friends from having this conversation in front of everyone.

“There’s no going back, spill.”

“Yeah, now we all wanna know,” Nayeon said from behind Momo.

“So, we were around fifteen or sixteen and we went to our first real party together,” Chaeyoung started. Dahyun wanted the floor to open up and swallow her whole, she took a quick glance at Sana who was sipping from a beer can. “We had like two drinks and got drunk, quite embarrassing. Then we went to my house and we were in bed and we just kissed, it was really bad, I’m sorry, Dahyun. Tzuyu can confirm that now I’m an amazing kisser, if you want we can try again sometime,” Chaeyoung winked at her and Dahyun pretended to vomit.

“Pass, thank you for the offer, though.”

Chaeyoung got closer to Dahyun and surrounded her neck with her arms, puckering her lips as she tried to kiss her. Dahyun screamed and got away, removing the lipstick stain her friend had left on her cheek. The other girls laughed at their antics and carried on with their karaoke adventures.

“So, what do you think of my friends?” Jeongyeon asked Mina, who was sitting on her lap.

“I really like them, they are fun,” Mina answered, her words a little slurred. She put her arms around her now girlfriend and kissed her.

“I’m glad,” Jeongyeon replied after breaking the kiss. “Sana and Momo are really excited about having met you, I think they want to create a Japanese special club or something with you and not include any of us in it.”

“There’s no need for that really, we could just talk in Japanese and you still wouldn’t understand,” Mina said playfully.

“Oh, come on, you wouldn’t do that.”

“I can tell them all about your little accident… how you just wanted to impress me but we ended up at the hospital waiting for two hours to get an x-ray.”

“That’s unfair,” Jeongyeon said kissing her cheek and resting her head on her shoulder.

“I can also tell them about how you’re really sweet and funny and incredibly beautiful.”

“Shut up.”

Mina planted a kiss to the crown of her head and laughed softly.

Just then Nayeon’s shrill voice broke through the girls’ peaceful moment.

“Attention, everybody. My sexy, goddess of a girlfriend, is about to give us her annual special New Year’s Eve show, so please take your seats and enjoy…” Nayeon made a gesture for Jihyo to turn off all the lights except for the one in the middle of the room.

Nayeon turned on the music and out of the corridor appeared Momo dressed in an enormous sumo suit, but… a sexy version of it, if that was possible.

The crowd went crazy in cheers and screams at the performer. She danced giving it her all, even if the suit made it almost impossible to move freely, she made every move flow easily and elegantly. 

At one point she even took Jihyo’s hand and made her dance with her, the other girl followed the choreography easily, even if she had been taken by surprise. Then Nayeon claimed some attention and Momo’s short arms hugged her, they tripped and fell to the floor in a sea of laughter.

“You’re hot, keep it for the night,” Nayeon said close to her ear.

Momo’s eyebrow shot up in interest and she kissed her girlfriend.

“Get a room, you two.” Jeongyeon threw a chip at the two lovebirds.

“Maybe we will, Momo’s old room is looking extra nice tonight.”

“There’s guests here, please control yourselves,” Sana chimed in.

A few round of shots later, the nine girls were still dancing and shouting. They all shared that special bond that being drunk provides you with and nothing else seemed to matter except for laughing with not a care about anything else. That was until Chaeyoung tried to climb on top of Dahyun’s shoulders, making her muscles strain.

“Fuck, Chae,” the blonde said as she grabbed her left shoulder.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, are you okay?” The other girl asked as she looked for her friend’s face for an answer.

“Do I look okay?” Dahyun asked in a severe tone.

“No, but I don’t know, I barely touched you.”

“Yeah, balancing plates on the same freaking arm for endless hours every week is not that good for you,” Dahyun replied in a sarcastic tone.

By then Sana noticed some weird screaming coming from the other side of the room, and when she saw Dahyun bending over in pain she knew she had to intervene.

“Hey, what happened?” she asked, a frown on her face.

“Chaeyoung here broke my shoulder.”

“It’s not broken, don’t exaggerate. I’m small, it can’t be that bad.”

Dahyun looked at her in such a way that made the other girl raise her arms in surrender and leave her side. “I’m sorry, I love you.”

“Come on, let me help you,” Sana helped her up and guided her to the bathroom. She opened the cabinet behind the mirror and read the labels on the different pots. “It has to be here somewhere.”

“What exactly?”

“This ointment that helps to relax the muscles. Here it is,” Sana smiled and guided Dahyun to her room.

Dahyun didn’t understand what was happening exactly, but drunk Sana looked extremely professional at that moment.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to give you a massage. I told you I study physical therapy, just trust me, I’m very good with my hands.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Look, you can stay in pain all night and probably a few days or you can let me help you right now.”

Dahyun considered her two options for a moment. “Okay, I trust you,” she huffed.

“Good, now sit on the bed.” Sana took off her rings and sat down behind Dahyun. “Um, I’m gonna need to unzip your dress, is that okay?”

Dahyun hadn’t thought about that. “Y- yeah.”

Sana’s nimble fingers took hold of the zipper and brought it down torturously slow. Dahyun’s breath hitched when Sana delicately touched the injured shoulder, partly due to the pain but mostly because the beautiful girl was touching her.

“Ouch,” Dahyun winced in pain.

“Does it hurt here?” Sana moved her hand a little bit, adding more pressure.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. I’m sorry my hands are cold.”

“It’s okay.”

Sana blew hot breath onto her hands and proceeded to take some of the ointment with her fingers.

“Okay, here I go.” She spread the product on her shoulder and began massaging the area, softly at first and then adding more pressure, but she couldn’t work properly. “Dahyunnie, I need to take your strap down.”

“Okay…” Dahyun breathed. Feeling Sana’s hands working miracuously against her muscles made her skin burn up, feeling her so close to her, her breathing hitting the back of her neck, her nails slightly scratching her, it all made her senses go wild.

“Is this alright?” Sana asked her as she used her knuckles to massage the area.

Dahyun hummed in agreement, Sana’s hands felt like heaven. “Yeah.”

“Are my hands too cold?” Sana murmured.

“No, they are perfect.”

“You have to take better care of yourself, your back is so tense.”

“I know, but hey, if it weren’t for me being an idiot I wouldn’t be here receiving this amazing massage.”

“Are you flirting with me?” Sana laughed.

It was hard for Dahyun to control her mouth when she was drunk. “Do you want me to?” She asked, feeling strangely brazen.

“Maybe…” Sana used a little more strength, her fingers traveling up and down the other girl’s back and shoulder.

Dahyun winced once again. “That hurt, no need to be rough.”

“I like it a little rough,” Sana said with a smirk. Dahyun thanked God and every angel in the sky for the fact that Sana couldn’t see her face at that moment. “Okay, that’s it for today. Don’t lift heavy things for the next couple of days and rest.”

Sana put her strap back on her shoulder and zipped the dress back. She then placed both her hands on Dahyun’s shoulders, as if waiting for something, as if she had something to say but couldn’t find the words.

“Thank you. For the massage,” Dahyun broke the silence. “It was really nice.”

“No problem.” Sana combed through the blonde’s locks. “We should probably head back to the party.”

“Y- yeah,” Dahyun didn’t have the courage to tell her that she preferred to stay there with her.

They stood up and Sana stumbled over her feet. She was drunker than she thought.

“Let me help you.” Dahyun put her arm around her waist and helped her walk back to the living-room.

“There you are, we are doing the last round of shots before the New Year,” Momo said as she approached the two girls with shot glasses on her hands.

Sana looked defeated at the glass shot that was right in front of her face. “Last one,” she warned her friend.

“Last one.”

“Ten minutes till the New Year, girls,” Jihyo said from the kitchen. “Let’s do this.”

The nine of them gathered around the kitchen counter and prepared themselves once more. Not a single pair of eyes was focused, nor a single pair of legs was steady by then.

“Okay, I’d like to say that I’m very very happy of spending another year with you, and of meeting some new people,” Jihyo started. “Thank you for always being the best and supporting me in every way, you are all invaluable friends. I love you,” Jihyo sealed her speech by taking the shot.

“I love you all!” Nayeon yelled at the top of her lungs as she downed hers and the rest of the girls followed her.

The music beat against their eardrums as they jumped around for the last moments of the year. Jihyo sat down on the sofa and immediately fell asleep. “Jihyo! Wake up, it’s almost midnight,” Jeongyeon tried to shake her awake.

“I’m just resting my eyes.”

“Rest them after midnight.”

There was no answer, Jeongyeon tried to wake her up once more, even slapped her face a little bit but there was no response.

“Two minutes!” Mina said as she looked at her phone.

Momo and Sana stopped jumping and the latter suddenly looked weird. She put her hand to her mouth and ran to the bathroom. Dahyun saw a pink blur pass by her side from the corner of her eye and followed her.

Sana was bending over the toilet, dry-heaving. Dahyun quickly moved to her side and tied her hair in a bun to get it out of the way. Sana ended up vomiting a few times as Dahyun rubbed her back. “I knew that last shot was a bad idea,” she said as she sat on the cold tiles.

“Yeah, let me get you some water.”

Dahyun brought back a cup and filled it with water from the tap. “Here. Drink it all.”

“It’s okay, Dahyunnie.”

“Drink it,” Dahyun glared at the other girl.

Sana took a sip from the water. “More,” Dahyun ordered.

“This bossy side of you is hot,” Sana said, her eyes closing. She then kneeled over the toilet again, ready for round two.

Dahyun soothed her again, making sure she didn’t make more of a mess than necessary. From outside the bathroom she could hear the other girls counting down.

“10, 9, 8…”

“I’m making you miss the New Year, go, I’m okay.”

“I don’t care.”

“I’m sorry,” Sana pouted and started crying.

“It’s okay, silly. Don’t cry,” Dahyun crouched next to her and hugged her.

“4, 3, 2, 1. Happy New Year!” everyone yelled as hundreds of fireworks could be heard from outside.

Spending the New Year sitting in a bathroom with a very drunk Sana was not how Dahyun had imagined the night to end up, but she wasn’t mad. She was glad to be there to help the other girl, the same way she had taken care of her before.

“Thank you for taking care of me,” Sana mumbled, clinging to Dahyun’s arms.

“No problem. Let’s go lay you down, come on.” Dahyun helped Sana to her feet and carried her across the living-room where the rest of the girls were celebrating.

Nayeon and Momo, Tzuyu and Chaeyoung, and Mina and Jeongyeon were all still kissing. Occasionally separating to shout the lyrics to the song that was playing or to tease each other about how gross they were. Nayeon gestured towards the sleeping Jihyo to Jeongyeon, who understood what she meant.

“It’s not fair that she’s not getting a New Year’s Kiss as well,” Nayeon said as they both sat down next to the sleeping girl and planted a kiss to each of her cheeks. Jihyo sleepily pushed them away and turned to a more comfortable position.

“Where’s Sana?” Momo asked, looking around.

“Where’s Dahyun?” asked Tzuyu.

The both of them then looked at each other. “Get it, girl!” Tzuyu yelled.

Back in Sana’s room, Dahyun helped her lay down on the bed. She covered her with a warm blanket and put her on her side to be safe. She turned on the bedside table lamp and was about to leave when a hand grabbed her wrist.

“Don’t leave,” Sana muttered.

Dahyun hesitated for a moment, but the hand on her wrist didn’t let her go.

“Okay.” She sat on the bed next to Sana’s legs and waited in silence, she could hear the rest of the girls celebrating outside.

“Come here,” Sana patted the spot next to her.

Dahyun moved to where she was indicated and rested her back on Sana’s headboard. The other girl moved and rested her head on Dahyun’s lap. “Play with my hair, please.”

Dahyun let out a chuckle and started caressing the pink locks. She moved her hand gently over the length, and Sana snuggled closer at the simple touch. After a few minutes like this, Sana mumbled something but Dahyun didn’t catch what she said.

“I want to tell you a secret,” Sana repeated, still not opening her eyes. “But you have to come closer.”

Dahyun leaned down so she was closer to the other girl and positioned her ear near Sana’s mouth. Instead of saying anything Sana trapped the other girl in her arms and laughed mischievously and tiredly.

“I just wanted you to relax.”

“I’m- I’m relaxed.”

“No, you’re not. I want you to always be relaxed around me.”

Dahyun was dying inside. She surrounded the other girl’s frame with her left arm and drew invisible patterns on her back.

“I could get used to this,” Sana confessed with a smile.

Dahyun smiled shily. The mere thought of doing this with Sana on the daily was enough to drive her wild.

“You smell really nice,” Sana said as she snuggled impossibly closer to Dahyun’s neck and breathed in the scent. “Jasmine. My favourite.”

Dahyun was a hundred percent sure that her heart would rip open her chest and escape if Sana kept on saying and doing things like these. She tried to focus on making the other girl feel safe in her arms, so she kept on moving her fingers from her head to her back time and time again.

Sleep invaded her body as she tried to stay awake. Dahyun’s eyelids were getting heavier and her movements slower. She felt Sana’s even breaths hitting her neck and she gave in to what her body and mind so much needed, knowing that Sana was safe pressed against her own body.

\---------------------------

Mina woke up first, she had fallen asleep on the couch in between Jihyo and Jeongyeon. She tried to stand up without disturbing the rest of the sleeping girls, who were all scattered around Sana’s apartment. Her body hurt even in places she didn’t even know existed, she went to the kitchen and gulped down a glass of fresh water as she admired the scene.

Nayeon and Momo were not there, so she assumed they must have either left or used Momo’s old room. Chaeyoung was spooning Tzuyu on the carpet. Jeongyeon’s mouth was slightly opened and she mumbled incoherent things. Jihyo was exactly in the same position she had fallen asleep in, which terrified Mina a little bit. She got closer to the girl and stared at her chest for signs of breathing, the intense gaze must have stirred Jihyo’s sixth sense because she immediately opened her eyes.

“Oh, sorry,” Mina apologized as she took a few steps back. “It’s just that you have been in the same position since you fell asleep and I was just- um, checking that you were…”

“Alive,” Jihyo finished. “I’m alive but barely, God, how much did we drink?” She stirred and stretched her body with a groan.

“A lot. If my headache is an indication of it.”

“I think we should leave. What time is it?”

Mina looked for her phone in between the cushions, “11am.”

“Shit.”

At that moment Chaeyoung and Tzuyu woke up. They slowly opened their eyes and complained about the back pain that came from sleeping on the ground.

“I feel old,” Tzuyu said as she helped her girlfriend up.

The four girls admired each other’s terrible states and laughed.

“Ouch, laughing hurts,” Chaeyoung protested as she grabbed her head.

“Can’t you all shut up?” Jeongyeon said in an angry tone.

Mina went to her side and planted a soft kiss to her temple. “Baby, I think we should go home. Get some real rest.”

“That sounds nice, Sana’s couch is not as comfortable as it looks.”

“I need to pee,” Jihyo said as she shuffled towards the bathroom. Before she could even reach the doorknob a hand appeared out of the blue and got into the bathroom first.

“I’m sorry, my bladder is about to explode,” Nayeon excused herself from inside.

“Fuck you, mine too.”

Nayeon took her sweet time inside. “I swear to God, Nayeon, if you don’t come out in the next five seconds I’ll go in and pee on you. I don’t care.”

Nayeon opened the door and gave her a kiss on the head. “Thank you,” she said with a smile.

Nayeon went into Momo’s old room and got under the covers again. Momo’s arm instantly found its way around her waist. “Where did you go? I missed you.”

“I needed to use the toilet,” Nayeon brought her girlfriend closer to her chest.

“I heard you talking.”

“Yeah, it was Jihyo.”

“What is Jihyo doing in our apartment?”

Nayeon smiled at Momo’s confusion, “We’re not in our apartment, we’re at Sana’s. The party… do you remember?”

“Right.”

Momo opened her eyes big as plates and sat on the bed. “Shit, we have to go.”

“What? Why?”

“I told my parents we would video call and have fake lunch together.”

“What even is a fake lunch?”

“Just having lunch at the same time, shit, we have to go home. They wanted me to do a tour of our place and I need them to believe I’m a responsible adult.” Momo got off the bed and tried to make herself presentable. “Also, I may have mentioned you would be there with me.”

“So… you’re only now telling me I’ll be meeting your parents?” Nayeon screamed in desperation.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”

“Momo, you can’t do this to me. We’re literally hangover, we look like shit, and WE’RE NOT EVEN IN OUR OWN HOUSE.”

“I know, that’s why we need to run.”

Momo and Nayeon left the room and ran around Sana’s living-room looking for their belongings. The rest of the girls looked at them in confusion.

“Guys, is everything… okay?” Jeongyeon asked them as she stepped towards a corner so as not to be in their way.

“Yeah, you know, I’m about to meet Momo’s parents for the very first time and I’m still a little drunk but everything’s great,” Nayeon said nonchalantly as she put on her shoes.

“Oh… Momo’s parents are here?”

“No, we are having fake lunch.”

Before anyone could even open their mouth to ask what the hell Nayeon was talking about, the two girls disappeared out the front door.

“That was… weird,” Mina said.

“It’s probably Nayeon’s plan to avoid helping to clean up.”

All the girls looked at Jeongyeon questioningly. “We can’t let Sana clean up alone…” she clarified.

“We can go grab something to eat and then come back to help her…” Jihyo suggested. “Doing anything on an empty stomach is bad.”

“She’s right, I read that... somewhere,” Tzuyu chimed in.

They all looked at each other, knowing that leaving the apartment in that state was not very nice of them, but sometimes a terrible hangover and the lack of sleep didn’t let you think straight.

They tried to collect some of the plastic cups from the floor and throw them in the trash, then put the couch in its place and after opening a few drawers Jihyo found a piece of paper and pen and wrote “Left to grab something to eat, we’ll be back later to help you clean. Love you.”

“Where’s Dahyun?” Tzuyu asked as she picked some bottles from the floor.

“Her shoes are still here,” her girlfriend answered.

The two girls shared a knowing look. “Who would’ve thought…”

A few moments later, the five girls put on their shoes and coats and left the apartment.

“I think I’ll die if I eat anything, though,” Chaeyoung said tentatively.

“Me too,” Jeongyeon admitted.

\---------------------------

Sana opened her eyes slowly and stirred a bit. She tried to stretch her legs but something was preventing her from moving freely. Dahyun’s legs were intertwined with hers in an impossible puzzle. It was a nice feeling.

Sana looked up at the sleeping girl, her eyes moving under her eyelids, her soft lips parted just slightly, her chest rising and falling softly. She was so beautiful.

Sana didn’t want to leave this haven but she really needed to use the bathroom. She lifted the covers and very cautiously untangled herself from the other girl. She opened her bedroom door and walked into the living-room. She was surprised to see that none of her friends were there, a white paper placed on the coffee table caught her eye.

“Yeah, right.” Sana already knew they were not going to come back.

She made her way to the bathroom and after relieving herself she went back and opened her bedroom door only to see that Dahyun was sitting in the bed, her hair a mess and her eyes puffy. Cute, she thought.

“Everyone left,” she announced.

“Really?”

“Yeah, they left a note, though.” Sana lifted the paper so Dahyun could read.

“It sounds like a lie.”

“Yeah…”

“God, why did I drink so much yesterday?”

“I could ask the same thing.” Sana sat on the corner of her bed, looking at the other girl. “Thank you for taking care of me last night.”

“No need to thank me, you would’ve done the same.”

“How’s your shoulder?”

Dahyun tried moving it around, it didn’t hurt that much. “Okay, it still hurts a little bit but it’s bearable. Thanks to you.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

Sana looked down at the dress she was still wearing.

“I’m gonna take a shower, you can stay in bed if you want, or go with the rest of the girls.”

“No way, I’m helping you clean up.”

“There’s no need, I can do it myself.”

“Unless you want me to go, I’m staying.”

Sana smiled, she was really falling for this girl.

“I don’t want you to go,” she admitted softly.

“It’s settled then, go take your shower and I’ll cook us some breakfast in the meantime.”

“Okay.”

Sana looked for some comfy clothes in her closet and then left for the bathroom. Dahyun got off the bed and went into the kitchen. It was a mess, bottles, cups, plates, food, everything was scattered everywhere. She cleaned a section of the kitchen and opened Sana’s fridge to look for something she could use to make breakfast.

She decided to make some eggs and toast, but before that she drank a glass of water and looked for an aspirin in her handbag. She then took one for Sana to take after her shower, the girl had had a rough night.

Dahyun washed her hands and tied up her hair. The smell of alcohol made her stomach churn but she pushed through the feeling. As she was juicing some oranges, Sana emerged from her shower looking radiant. Her makeup was long gone and her skin glowed with the soft sun that filtered through the window.

“Here you go,” Dahyun placed a plate in front of her. “And, here’s an aspirin, I figured you would need it.”

“Yeah, thank you,” Sana took the pill and drank the juice.

Dahyun took her own plate and sat in front of Sana, feeling a little self-conscious of her looks.

“It’s good,” Sana said as she tasted the eggs.

“My specialty. I mastered the recipe after many hungry late nights after my shift.”

Sana laughed and took a bite of the toast. She looked at Dahyun, her makeup was a little smudged and her dress was now all wrinkled, but she still looked lovely.

When they finished their “breakfast” it was already almost 3pm. They took the plates to the sink and stared at all the work they had ahead of them.

“How is it that nine people can create so much chaos?”

“I don’t know.”

Sana looked at the girl on her side. “Hey, if you want you can take a shower and I’ll lend you some nice fresh clothes, that dress doesn’t seem very comfortable.”

Dahyun desperately wanted a shower, but was too shy to ask. “Okay, thank you.”

She took her shower and put on the clothes Sana had left for her. The other girl’s scent surrounded her body and she brought the fabric to her nose to breathed it in a little more.

The both of them were now ready to start their task. They put on some rubber gloves and started collecting the bottles that adorned the apartment and classifying them for recycling. The paper cups and plates that the other girls had tried to collect as best as they could were put in a separate bag and the snacks that found their way to the floor were swept away. Dahyun went around the apartment collecting the forgotten beer cans that found their way to mysterious spots and trying to tidy Sana’s ornaments as she went.

Sana used a broom to clean the floor and then a wet rag to clean all the spilled alcohol. The place was starting to look more like a home and less like a bar. They cleaned the bathroom and tidied Momo’s old room. Dahyun helped her get the decorations down and they put them all back in the boxes. They placed the coffee table and the couch back on their regular spots and flopped down on it exhausted.

“That was a lot,” Sana expressed, her limbs limp by her side.

“Yep, but at least your apartment is now nice and clean, and it doesn’t smell like alcohol.”

“I think we deserve a prize. How about a movie? I’ll let you choose whatever you like,” Sana said excitedly.

“Okay, I don’t accept criticism on my movie taste, though.”

“Fair.”

Sana turned on the TV and opened Netflix. Dahyun scrolled for what seemed like forever until she selected a Christmas movie.

“Christmas is over, Dahyunnie.”

“Hey, it’s never too late to be in the Christmas spirit.”

They both got comfortable on the couch and watched the movie in silence. At one point Sana stood up and grabbed some snacks and made some of her famous coffee for the both of them.

“Quickly, you’re missing the best part.”

Sana returned with a tray and put it in front of them. She took a sip from her mug and focused again on what was going on in the movie. The older girl finished her coffee and placed the mug back on the table, Dahyun followed a few minutes later. They laid down again more comfortably and satisfied.

As the afternoon progressed and the sun disappeared, the weather got colder. Sana shivered a little bit and snuggled closer to Dahyun to get some of her warmth. She latched her arm with hers and placed her head on the blonde’s good shoulder.

“Dahyunnie, I don’t mean to be rude but this movie is quite bad.”

Dahyun let out a laugh and conceded, “Yeah, I’m not gonna lie, it is very bad.”

Dahyun tried to force her brain to pay attention to the movie but Sana’s body pressed against hers was making it very difficult. She could smell the shampoo fragrance and feel the tickles of Sana’s hair on her cheek.

“Thank you for taking care of me last night,” Sana looked up into her eyes, still resting against the other girl.

“You’ve already thanked me.”

After a moment Sana continued, “I always end up like that, I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I miss home and my parents and my grandma. I always end up regretting it...,” Sana swallowed, “this year even more.”

“There’s nothing to regret, we’ve all been there,” Dahyun tried to console her.

“Yeah, but I didn’t get my New Year’s Kiss…” Sana said, her voice small, almost afraid of what could be Dahyun’s reaction at her words.

Dahyun was paralysed, “Oh…”

“You know, I had been giving myself pep talks all night for it to happen.”

Dahyun’s heart was now out of control, she could feel it resonating in her ears and felt it beating like never before. She wanted nothing more than to kiss Sana, to feel her lips against hers and her hands disheveling her hair. She had been waiting for it way too much, suffered too many lost opportunities, too many interruptions. Dahyun knew it was now or never. “Well, it’s technically still January 1st, so you’re not too late.”

Sana’s eyes landed on her eyes, her gaze intent, they then traveled down to her lips. “I guess not.”

She was getting closer, one hand went to caress Dahyun’s cheek and she melted at the touch. Sana looked into her eyes once more and Dahyun couldn’t believe this was real. The moment Sana’s lips found hers a thousand fireworks went off inside her chest, last night’s don’t even come close to what Dahyun was feeling inside. It was tender and sweet, like that first instant when your lips touch cotton candy.

Dahyun moved her lips against the other girls and the feeling didn’t relinquish but intensified, Sana’s lips were addictive and electrifying and it felt like everything romantic movies told you love should feel like and more.

Sana’s hand traveled from Dahyun’s cheek to the back of her head and pressed her harder against her, her lips hungrily kissing her. Dahyun’s lips tasted like hot chocolate and cherry lip balm and there was no way to stop her brain from short circuiting every time the blonde’s hand on her waist brought her closer.

Sana broke the kiss, moving her head back to look at Dahyun in the eyes. They both laughed, relief washing over them at their reciprocated feelings. Dahyun caressed Sana’s face with her thumb and then brought her closer again, connecting their lips once more. It was as if after that first kiss, they couldn’t stop, it was addicting and beautiful and sweet. Their lips moved in perfect harmony, as if they were made for each other.

Dahyun was the one to break the kiss now, and Sana chased after her lips, but Dahyun’s words made her open her eyes, “I really like you,” her cheeks were flushed but she wasn’t ashamed.

“I really like you too,” Sana whispered.

“That’s a relief,” Dahyun smiled.

“Now shut up and kiss me.”

Dahyun wasn’t going to deny a request like that. She attacked Sana’s lips for the third time and let her tongue poke just enough to signal to the other girl to grant her permission. Sana reciprocated the kiss with enthusiasm, her hands roaming Dahyun’s back, her fingers scorching every inch of skin they could find.

Dahyun couldn’t help getting lost in her instincts and feelings for the other girl, she bit Sana’s lower lip and tugged at it only to then soothe it with her soft lips, and it was all worth it for the guttural sound Sana let out at that gesture.

“Remind me to thank Chaeyoung for making you such a great kisser,” Sana said as she pecked her lips.

“Ugh, gross, don’t bring my best friend into this, we’re having a moment here.”

“That’s fair, I’m sorry.”

Sana kissed her cheek, then her jaw, then her lips. “I wonder what I have to do for you to forgive me…” Sana said seductively.

Dahyun didn’t answer and instead kissed her again, and again, and again, until their lips felt numb and the butterflies in their stomachs flew all around them. They never wanted that feeling to go away, and they were sure it never would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I hope you enjoyed reading this. It's a bit longer than I anticipated, but I hope it was worth your time :) I'm not confident in my writing just yet, but I'm still going to try and be better in the future. Feel free to leave any comments, they really make my day. Happy New Year, let's hope 2020 is a good one for everyone. Cheers!
> 
> P.D.: There's a possibility I'll write some more for this fic if I feel like it. Also, I finished proofreading this at 3am so I'm not responsible for what my brain considered correct or not :)


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